Objective: To assess the demand and accessibility of appointment reminder services via the Zalo application among caregivers of psychiatric outpatients at Thanh Hoa Psychiatric Hospital in 2026, and to identify associated factors.
Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 220 caregivers from April to June 2026. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using the Chi-square test and a multivariable logistic regression model in SPSS 27.0.
Results: Smartphone ownership reached 89.1%, yet 39.1% were unfamiliar with Zalo. Over the past year, 80.9% of families had missed appointments. The demand for Zalo reminder messages was 94.1%, with one day prior being the most preferred timing (84.1%). Additionally, 90.0% desired home medication guidelines. Multivariable analysis identified three factors independently associated with demand: Zalo digital literacy (OR = 4.402; p = 0.014), history of missed appointments (OR = 3.367; p = 0.033), and age over 50 (OR = 0.325; p = 0.035).
Conclusion: Caregivers showed high demand for Zalo-based appointment reminders, associated with Zalo literacy, missed-appointment history, and age group.