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Not yet recruitingNCT07779161NO-SHOW-NCCUpdated Aug 21, 2026

Impact of Appointment Reminder Strategies on Smoking Cessation Clinic Attendance

An interventional study of Standard phone call and phone call with MINDSPACE elements in Behavioral Intervention and Nicotine Addiction, sponsored by Medical University of Gdansk. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Poland. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-21.

Sponsored by Medical University of Gdansk · Not applicable, Interventional, and Health services research

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
300
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether different appointment reminder methods can improve attendance at an anti-smoking (smoking cessation) clinic among adult smokers.

The main question it aims to answer is:

"Which reminder method helps participants come to their scheduled smoking cessation clinic appointments most often?" Researchers will compare different appointment reminder methods with standard appointment scheduling to see if they help participants attend their clinic visits more often.

Participants will:

  • Receive appointment reminders using different methods
  • Come to their scheduled visits at a smoking cessation (anti-nicotine) clinic
02

Conditions studied

  • Behavioral Intervention
  • Nicotine Addiction

Keywords

  • nicotine cessation clinic
  • nicotine
  • smoking cessation
  • clinic attendance
  • anti-nicotine clinic
  • adult smokers
  • behavioral intervention
  • patient engagement
  • reminder systems
  • healthcare attendance
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ≥ 18 years. Confirmed diagnosis of nicotine dependence (F17 according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision [ICD-10]) and active patient status at the Smoking Cessation Clinic.
  • Provision of voluntary, written, informed consent to participate in the study and to be contacted by telephone or short text message.
  • Ability to independently provide information and operate a mobile phone.
  • At the time of study enrollment, attendance at an initial visit at the clinic.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria

  • Age \< 18 years.
  • Lack of written, informed consent to participate in the study.
  • Inability to independently understand the study procedures or provide responses (e.g., due to dementia or a language barrier).
04

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Health services research
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
300 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    Standard of care - Text message

    Participants will receive a standard, automated text message reminding them of their scheduled appointment. The message will be sent 1 day before the scheduled appointment. The content of the message will be limited to logistical information (date, time, and location) and instructions on how to reschedule or cancel the appointment.

  • Experimental
    Text message and standard phone call

    Participants will receive a text message (similar to Arm 1) one day before the appointment and, additionally, a phone call from a trained staff member 1-5 days before the appointment. The conversation will follow a strictly standardized script limited solely to confirming the appointment date, without any motivational or therapeutic elements.

    Behavioral: Standard phone call

  • Experimental
    Text message and phone call with MINDSPACE elements

    Participants will receive a short text message (similar to Arm 1) and a phone call 1-5 days before their appointment. The conversation will follow a standardized script incorporating behavioral intervention (nudging) elements based on the MINDSPACE (Messenger, Incentives, Norms, Defaults, Salience, Priming, Affect, Commitments, Ego) framework. Key components of the script include: * Messenger (Sender): Emphasizing that the information comes from the medical team. * Norms (Social Norms): Referring to success statistics for regular visits. * Commitment: Encouraging verbal confirmation of attendance. * Affect (Emotions): Providing short messages reinforcing a sense of support.

    Behavioral: phone call with MINDSPACE elements

Interventions

  • BehavioralStandard phone call

    Participants will receive a phone call from a trained staff member 1-5 days before the appointment. The conversation will follow a strictly standardized script limited solely to confirming the appointment date, without any motivational or therapeutic elements.

  • Behavioralphone call with MINDSPACE elements

    Participants will receive a phone call 1-5 days before their appointment. The conversation will follow a standardized script incorporating behavioral intervention (nudging) elements based on the MINDSPACE framework. Key components of the script include: * Messenger (Sender): Emphasizing that the information comes from the medical team. * Norms (Social Norms): Referring to success statistics for regular visits. * Commitment: Encouraging verbal confirmation of attendance. * Affect (Emotions): Providing short messages reinforcing a sense of support.

    Also known as: MINDSPACE

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Patient attendance at scheduled follow-up visit

    Primary Outcome: The primary outcome measure is a binary assessment of patient attendance (Present/Absent) at the scheduled second visit, which takes place 2-8 weeks after the initial visit, as determined by the physician's individual assessment. Attendance will be verified on the day of the scheduled visit based on objective data recorded in the "CliniNET" hospital system.

    Time frame: At the second scheduled visit at the Nicotine Cessation Clinic (2-8 weeks after baseline).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Impact of sociodemographic and clinical factors on patient attendance

    Secondary Outcomes: Secondary analyses will include an assessment of the impact of sociodemographic and clinical factors based on tests routinely performed as part of a medical visit (age, sex, level of dependence according to the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND)).

    Time frame: at baseline and 2 to 8 weeks after enrollment

06

Study locations

1 site
  • University Clinical Centre
    Gdansk, Pomeranian Voivodeship 80-952, Poland
    • Łukasz W Balwicki, Assoc. Prof., DSc · Contact · balwicki@gumed.edu.pl · +48 606 369 656
    • Jagoda K Arendt · Principal investigator
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Wu Q, Zhang R, Tao L, Cai W, Cao X, Mao Z, Zhang J. Nudge theories and strategies influencing adult health behaviors and outcomes in COPD management: a systematic review. Front Public Health. 2024 Nov 5;12:1404590. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1404590. eCollection 2024. PubMed 39564365 ↗
  • Wills L, Kenny PJ. Addiction-related neuroadaptations following chronic nicotine exposure. J Neurochem. 2021 Jun;157(5):1652-1673. doi: 10.1111/jnc.15356. PubMed 33742685 ↗
  • West R, Raw M, McNeill A, Stead L, Aveyard P, Bitton J, Stapleton J, McRobbie H, Pokhrel S, Lester-George A, Borland R. Health-care interventions to promote and assist tobacco cessation: a review of efficacy, effectiveness and affordability for use in national guideline development. Addiction. 2015 Sep;110(9):1388-403. doi: 10.1111/add.12998. PubMed 26031929 ↗
  • Wang F, Li Y, Zhang C, Arbing R, Chen WT, Huang F. Evaluating digital nudge interventions for the promotion of cancer screening behavior: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Med. 2025 Apr 14;23(1):214. doi: 10.1186/s12916-025-04028-8. PubMed 40223053 ↗
  • Tang, B. (2022). Effect of SMS reminders on attendance rates for healthcare appointments: A systematic review & meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Case Studies Reviews&Reports, 4(5), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.47363/JCCSR/2022(4)217
  • Sakthisankaran, S. M., Sakthipriya, D., & Swamivelmanickam, M. (2024). Health risks associated with tobacco consumption in humans: An overview. Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics, 14(5), 163-173. http://dx.doi.org/10.22270/jddt.v14i5.6523
  • Rohrig B, du Prel JB, Wachtlin D, Kwiecien R, Blettner M. Sample size calculation in clinical trials: part 13 of a series on evaluation of scientific publications. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2010 Aug;107(31-32):552-6. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2010.0552. Epub 2010 Aug 9. PubMed 20827353 ↗
  • Pęksa, J. W., & Dembe, K. (2021). Treatment of tobacco addiction - Outline of issues. Medycyna Ogólna i Nauki o Zdrowiu, 27(1), 32-39. https://doi.org/10.26444/monz/132652
  • Picciotto MR, Kenny PJ. Mechanisms of Nicotine Addiction. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2021 May 3;11(5):a039610. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a039610. PubMed 32341069 ↗
  • Michalek IM, Didkowska J, Koczkodaj P. First tobacco-free generation in Europe - A lost cause? Latest Global Youth Tobacco Survey data from Poland and the CEE region. J Cancer Policy. 2025 Sep;45:100601. doi: 10.1016/j.jcpo.2025.100601. Epub 2025 May 30. PubMed 40451610 ↗
  • Kheirkhah P, Feng Q, Travis LM, Tavakoli-Tabasi S, Sharafkhaneh A. Prevalence, predictors and economic consequences of no-shows. BMC Health Serv Res. 2016 Jan 14;16:13. doi: 10.1186/s12913-015-1243-z. PubMed 26769153 ↗
  • Marcolino MS, Oliveira JAQ, D'Agostino M, Ribeiro AL, Alkmim MBM, Novillo-Ortiz D. The Impact of mHealth Interventions: Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2018 Jan 17;6(1):e23. doi: 10.2196/mhealth.8873. PubMed 29343463 ↗
  • Jankowski M, Grudziaz-Sekowska J, Kaminska A, Sekowski K, Wrzesniewska-Wal I, Moczeniat G, Gujski M, Kaleta D, Ostrowski J, Pinkas J. A 2024 nationwide cross-sectional survey to assess the prevalence of cigarette smoking, e-cigarette use and heated tobacco use in Poland. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2024 Sep 10;37(3):271-286. doi: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.02402. Epub 2024 Jun 14. PubMed 38904293 ↗
  • Hwang AS, Atlas SJ, Cronin P, Ashburner JM, Shah SJ, He W, Hong CS. Appointment "no-shows" are an independent predictor of subsequent quality of care and resource utilization outcomes. J Gen Intern Med. 2015 Oct;30(10):1426-33. doi: 10.1007/s11606-015-3252-3. Epub 2015 Mar 17. PubMed 25776581 ↗
  • Hrobjartsson A, Boutron I, Hopewell S, Moher D, Schulz KF, Collins GS, Tunn R, Aggarwal R, Berkwits M, Berlin JA, Bhandari N, Butcher NJ, Campbell MK, Chidebe RCW, Elbourne DR, Farmer AJ, Fergusson DA, Golub RM, Goodman SN, Hoffmann TC, Ioannidis JPA, Kahan BC, Knowles RL, Lamb SE, Lewis S, Loder E, Offringa M, Ravaud P, Richards DP, Rockhold FW, Schriger DL, Siegfried NL, Staniszewska S, Taylor RS, Thabane L, Torgerson DJ, Vohra S, White IR, Chan AW. SPIRIT 2025 explanation and elaboration: updated guideline for protocols of randomised trials. BMJ. 2025 Apr 28;389:e081660. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2024-081660. PubMed 40294956 ↗
  • Hoogsteder PH, Kotz D, van Spiegel PI, Viechtbauer W, Brauer R, Kessler PD, Kalnik MW, Fahim RE, van Schayck OC. The efficacy and safety of a nicotine conjugate vaccine (NicVAX(R)) or placebo co-administered with varenicline (Champix(R)) for smoking cessation: study protocol of a phase IIb, double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial. BMC Public Health. 2012 Dec 6;12:1052. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-1052. PubMed 23216646 ↗
  • Hasvold PE, Wootton R. Use of telephone and SMS reminders to improve attendance at hospital appointments: a systematic review. J Telemed Telecare. 2011;17(7):358-64. doi: 10.1258/jtt.2011.110707. Epub 2011 Sep 20. PubMed 21933898 ↗
  • Dantas LF, Fleck JL, Cyrino Oliveira FL, Hamacher S. No-shows in appointment scheduling - a systematic literature review. Health Policy. 2018 Apr;122(4):412-421. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2018.02.002. Epub 2018 Feb 15. PubMed 29482948 ↗
  • Bauerle WB, Reese V, Stoltzfus J, Benton A, Knipe J, Wilde-Onia R, Castillo R, Thomas P, Cipolla J, Braverman MA. Effect of Standardized Reminder Calls on Trauma Patient No-Show Rate. J Am Coll Surg. 2024 Feb 1;238(2):236-241. doi: 10.1097/XCS.0000000000000898. Epub 2023 Oct 20. PubMed 37861231 ↗
  • Bahadir A, Iliaz S, Yurt S, Ortakoylu MG, Bakan ND, Yazar E. Factors affecting dropout in the smoking cessation outpatient clinic. Chron Respir Dis. 2016 May;13(2):155-61. doi: 10.1177/1479972316629953. Epub 2016 Feb 4. PubMed 26846679 ↗
  • Alkomos MF, Mendez D, Mazzei-Pifano D, Shafeek F, Rodriguez C, Ali F, Banks C, Melki G, Michael P. Patients' reasons for missing scheduled clinic appointments and their solutions at a major urban-based academic medical center. J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. 2020 Sep 3;10(5):426-430. doi: 10.1080/20009666.2020.1796903. PubMed 33235676 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared with other researchers. Due to privacy and confidentiality concerns, as well as applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), de-identified IPD from individual participants will not be made available.

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07779161
Lead sponsor
Medical University of Gdansk
Responsible party
Łukasz Balwicki (Habilitated Doctor, Associate Professor, Medical University of Gdansk) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 21, 2026
Start date
Aug 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Apr 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Apr 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Aug 21, 2026

Study contacts

Jagoda K Arendt
Contact
jagoda.arendt@gumed.edu.pl
+48 509 388 251

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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