Abstract
BackgroundStrategies to improve medication adherence are widespread in the literature; however, their impact is limited in real practice. Few patients persistently engage long-term to improve health outcomes, even when they are aware of the consequences of poor adherence. Despite the potential of mobile phone apps as a tool to manage medication adherence, there is still limited evidence of the impact of these innovative interventions. Real-world evidence can assist in minimizing this evidence gap.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to analyze the impact over time of a previously implemented digital therapeutic mobile app on medication adherence rates in adults with any chronic condition.MethodsA retrospective observational study was performed to assess the adherence rates of patients with any chronic condition using Perx Health, a digital therapeutic that uses multiple components within a mobile health app to improve medication adherence. These components include gamification, dosage reminders, incentives, educational components, and social community components. Adherence was measured through mobile direct observation of therapy (MDOT) over 3-month and 6-month time periods. Implementation adherence, defined as the percentage of doses in which the correct dose of a medication was taken, was assessed across the study periods, in addition to timing adherence or percentage of doses taken at the appropriate time (±1 hour). The Friedman test was used to compare differences in adherence rates over time.ResultsWe analyzed 243 and 130 patients who used the app for 3 months and 6 months, respectively. The average age of the 243 patients was 43.8 years (SD 15.5), and 156 (64.2%) were female. The most common medications prescribed were varenicline, rosuvastatin, and cholecalciferol. The median implementation adherence was 96.6% (IQR 82.1%-100%) over 3 months and 96.8% (IQR 87.1%-100%) over 6 months. Nonsignificant differences in adherence rates over time were observed in the 6-month analysis (Fr(2)=4.314, P=.505) and 3-month analysis (Fr(2)=0.635, P=.728). Similarly, the timing adherence analysis revealed stable trends with no significant changes over time.ConclusionsRetrospective analysis of users of a medication adherence management mobile app revealed a positive trend in maintaining optimal medication adherence over time. Mobile technology utilizing gamification, dosage reminders, incentives, education, and social community interventions appears to be a promising strategy to manage medication adherence in real practice.
Highlights
Strategies to manage medication adherence, which is defined as the process by which patients take their medications as prescribed [1], are widespread in the literature and are reported to be modestly effective [2]
A total of 130 users were included in the 6-month analysis, and 243 users were included in the 3-month analysis
Our analysis proved that the Perx digital therapeutic is an effective intervention in managing medication adherence, it does have some limitations
Summary
Strategies to manage medication adherence, which is defined as the process by which patients take their medications as prescribed [1], are widespread in the literature and are reported to be modestly effective [2]. Most likely due to the multidimensional nature of medication-taking behavior and numerous determinants of nonadherence [3], multicomponent interventions with both technical and educational aspects have shown the most success [4] These strategies have failed to find success in the real world; patient adherence levels tend to decrease in the long term and stay consistently at around 50% [5]. Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed to assess the adherence rates of patients with any chronic condition using Perx Health, a digital therapeutic that uses multiple components within a mobile health app to improve medication adherence. These components include gamification, dosage reminders, incentives, educational components, and social community components. Dosage reminders, incentives, education, and social community interventions appears to be a promising strategy to manage medication adherence in real practice
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
