Studies have shown that success in losing weight is affected by how often patients see a health-care professional. Patients benefit from the doctor’s advice and reminders on nutrition, exercise, stress management, time management and tips on finding healthy, affordable food. Regrettably, though, most patients only see their doctors for 30 minutes every six-to-12 months, which is not enough time to change their behavior.

But, what if we could take advantage of the power of digital communication and use text messaging to reiterate supportive messages to improve a patient’s health? That was the question Dr. Ashwani Singal sought to answer in his clinic with obese patients who also have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In a blog post on Becker’s Health IT and CIO Review, Dr. Singal shares his preliminary results that show exciting potential for success.

Dr. Singal presented data from the study “Text Messaging Approach Improves Weight Loss and ALT Levels in Patients with NAFLD,” abstract 355, on Sunday, May 7, at 3:30 p.m. CT, at McCormick Place in Chicago.