Death rate 68% lower in COVID outpatients sent text message check-insAn automated text messaging system for adult COVID-19 outpatients developed at Penn Medicine saved two lives a week during the first US pandemic surge, and users were 68% less likely than controls to die, finds a study today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.The text messaging system, COVID Watch, sent twice-daily automated text check-ins to outpatients who tested positive for COVID-19 from Mar 23 to Nov 30, 2020, at the Penn Medicine health system.
Patients could report worsening symptoms to a small team of registered nurses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.The researchers compared the outcomes of 3,488 patients enrolled in COVID Watch with those of 4,377 controls who