By BluEnt

11/14/2014 85 – 94% of all adults in the US own a mobile phone. 58 – 61% of the people who use cell phones in the US possess smart phones. One in every three of these smart phone users have searched for health – related information on their gadget. Roughly 52% of the smartphone owners in the US search for health information on their device and about one in every five users have a health – related app installed on their phone. This research clears one thing- no matter what anybody says, mHealth apps are the future.

“The best and top ranked promotion and distribution media for mHealth apps in the coming years would be physicians and hospitals that have been in this business for centuries,” as per a report issued by research2guidance. This report implies that within five years or so, mHealth apps will become an integral part of the healthcare business as these apps help reduce readmissions, protests and non – compliance. Remote monitoring technologies and consultation apps will be the ones to lead the way.

If and when patients forget to take their medicines or do not take them regularly as prescribed by the doctor, it can have a huge impact on patient health, and also adds to the financial costs of our healthcare system as a result.

Both compliance (having medicines as prescribed) and adherence (remaining on the drug therapy prescribed) are symbiotic when it comes to achieving the assumed as well as the obtained results. Three mHealth innovations that are emerging today, although fundamentally simple, hold the promise of a brighter future and a huge impact on both the aforementioned results. Although they are not mutually exclusive, they tend to have positive impacts in altering patient outcomes and heeding the challenges presented by compliance and adherence issues.

Smartphone alerts

The emergence of smartphones has made life so much easier in every aspect. Setting audio reminder or an alarm on these devices can alert or remind caregivers or patients that it is time to take the next dose of medicines. Recent studies show that there is now more demand for smartphones rather than personal computers in the US. Furthermore, around 247 million Americans have downloaded and used a healthcare app on their device.
A reminder from time to time serves the purpose of alerting a busy or distracted patient, or maybe someone who is suffering from a disease causing memory problems such as dementia or Alzheimer’s. Hearing the reminder, patients and caretakers can drop whatever they are doing to give or take medicine.

Wireless pill bottles

A significant breakthrough in the healthcare field is the emergence of wireless pill bottles. It is a small gadget which keeps a check on the number of pills remaining in a bottle and can also send HIPAA – compliant reminders via call or text to patients to remind them to take their medicines. Some studies have shown that with the help of these devices, adherence rates have gone up to 95 percent.

The next step and a revolutionary innovation for this device would be a ‘smart’ pill bottle, which could communicate with pharmacies to aid and expedite refills (resulting in compliance) and with doctors’ offices to send forth patient compliance data and boost the clinician’s knowledge and understanding of the particular drug therapy results.

These modern and innovative solutions help in rectifying the errors related to the traditional methods of drug compliance and adherence (for example, refill rate). These metrics are weak indicators of whether the patient took the prescribed medicine or not.

Gamification

Apps which include the ‘gamification’ feature help in providing psychological and mental incentives to patients. They help in patient participation by enticing them and appealing to the feeling of achievement. A reminder by itself might not be a compelling enough reason to take medication but if some ‘rewards’ are given for adhering to the matter, patients will obviously show more interest and participate at a much higher rate.

The positive impact of gadgets with such features is not merely speculation. In a study that focused on diabetes patients, a 10 percent escalation in patient adherence and savings of $812 per patient has been shown when medical text alerts were used. These products will keep on increasing as products with better features keep entering the market.

The Journal of Medical Internet Research recently published a study in which a tablet app being used by seniors could enhance medical adherence, even with patients who have zero experience in the use of smartphones, tablets or using the internet. As more and more people of the older generation are becoming friendly with the concept of smartphones and the Internet, the day is not far when a mobile app could start improving medical adherence in the same way as the tablet app.

The health industry has various other uses for mobile apps. There are apps that aid in the coordination and ensured continuity of care, apps that are designed for caregivers with no prior experience or training in the ways of a smartphone etc. These can greatly reduce costly re-admissions to hospitals. To illustrate this by an example, a session held at the Long Term and Post – Acute Care Health Summit was given the title, “Using Mobile Technology to Empower $10/Hour Lay Caregivers to Prevent $10,000 Readmissions.”

Positive results for the compliance and adherence issues will surely be achieved as mobile app technology keeps improving and enhancing. It is important to remember that sometimes the simplest solutions hold the promise of maximum impact.

About BluEnt
BluEnt provides programmers and IT consultants to develop & maintain: mobile apps, web portals, custom business software, ecommerce and online tools for enterprises. To know more about our services, visit www.bluent.ca

BluEnt

Formed in 2003, BluEnt is a leading software and web application development company in Toronto, Canada. It specializes in proving custom websites, mobile apps, e-commerce, and Internet marketing services for companies running an online dependent business, or looking to develop a tool to automa…

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