Medication Adherence Technologies Not Working, JAMA Study Says

Medication Adherence Technologies Not Working, JAMA Study Says

The following is an excerpt from an article that appeared on MobiHealthNews.

A new study of 1,500 patients casts doubt on the effectiveness of several promising medication adherence technologies and strategies, including connected pill bottles and lottery-based incentives.

The study, called the HeartStrong Study, was recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine. It was a year-long single-blind study of heart failure patients taking some combination of statins, aspirin, beta blockers and anti-platelet agents. About 1,000 patients used Vitality Glowcap connected pill bottles, daily lottery incentives that paid up to $50 for taking medications on time, and the option of enlisting friends or family to be informed if the connected pill bottle showed they skipped a dose. Additionally, the intervention group had access to a staff engagement advisor.

This article emphasis that technology itself cannot solve the problem of medication adherence. Patient engagement is critical, and these fancy technologies are no substitute for old-fashioned patient engagement.

CardioVisual allows for better engagement with patients, in the office and beyond, by empowering patients with the right information.

Read the entire article here and see the referenced study here.