Smartphone apps could help solve issue of medication adherence, says GlobalData

Data and analytics company, GlobalData, has stated that the use of focused smartphone apps could help to solve the issue of medication non-adherence in patients suffering with chronic diseases.

In cases of chronic diseases, long-term adherence to medication can be vital for successful treatment. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that only half of patients suffering from chronic diseases in developed countries adhere to treatment regimes. This figure is lower for developing countries.

As a result there has been an increase in the amount of mHealth apps developed that are aimed at improving medication adherence. However, the effectiveness and feasibility of integration into the healthcare system remains to be fully evaluated.

“Nonadherence to long-term therapies can impede treatment success and the overall effectiveness of healthcare systems while increasing morbidity and death rates,” commented Edit Kovalcsik, PhD, senior analyst for Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disorders at GlobalData.

Last month, the results of the MediSAFE-PB trial, which evaluated the effectiveness of Medisafe smartphone app on medication adherence and blood pressure (BP) control among patients with poorly controlled hypertension, were published. From that study, the authors had discerned that medication nonadherence accounts for about 50% of uncontrolled hypertension and there are more than 100 smartphone apps already available to assist in the self-management of hypertension alone.

However, for all the available apps, improvements in the control of BP was only seen in mHealth strategies that aimed to improve communication between patients and physicians, even though most patients download and use apps without the active participation of their physician.

“The substantial growth of the adherence app market reflects a high demand for this tool, requiring a continued need for randomized controlled trials to identify those apps that could be effectively incorporated into current care. Although the active involvement of nurses and pharmacists are effective measures of improving medication adherence, they are highly resource intensive,” added Kovalcsik. “Therefore, GlobalData believes that smartphone adherence apps will play an important role in improving adherence to medication and provide a better quality of life, for patients living with chronic conditions.”

The Medisafe app, marketed by Medisafe Boston and Israeli digital health business, is available on both iOS and Android and includes reminder alerts, adherence reports, and optional peer support.