Effect of SMS Reminder Use on Postoperative Breathing and Coughing Exercise Compliance: Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: The success of protocols is related to patient compliance. SMS-based interventions increase compliance with protocols in surgical patients and improving patients' clinical participation and satisfaction. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial study was to assess the impact of SMS use on patient satisfaction and adherence to postoperative breathing and coughing exercises in patients undergoing pulmonary lobectomy. Method: The study included 62 patients who had lobectomies in the thoracic surgery clinic of a university hospital between February 1, 2022, and April 3, 2023. The intervention group was selected as the group that received SMSs. Results: It was determined that mean number of respiratory exercises on the 4th postoperative day was statiscally significantly higher in the SMS group than in the control group. Similarly, it was determined that the mean number of cough exercises on the 4th postoperative day was significantly higher in the SMS group than the control group. Pain scores were lower in the SMS group than the control group on the fourth postoperative day. In the SMS group, 87.1% of the patients stated that SMS provided an incentive to exercise. The vast majority of patients (87.1%) stated that they were "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with receiving reminder SMS. Conclusion: The use of SMS increased the adherence of patients following pulmonary lobectomy to postoperative breathing and cough exercises. The majority of patients enjoyed receiving SMS messages, which was discovered to be an incentive for exercising regularly. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05915221).