Assessing the role of mobile applications for improving medication adherence

Background: Half of all American adults take at least one prescription drug for a chronic condition and one in six adults takes three or more. Patient adherence with chronic medication averages only 50 percent and one-third of all prescriptions are never filled. The consequences of non-adherence are grave: each year medication non-adherence is responsible for thousands deaths, 10 percent of hospital admissions, 23 percent of nursing-home admissions, and $100 billion in direct costs to the U.S. health care system. In other words, non-adherence is crippling our healthcare systems and is a growing public health concern. Objective: Evaluate how smartphone applications for the pharmacy customer can directly contribute to improving medication adherence. Methods: First we conducted a landscape analysis of all mobile applications designed for the pharmacy customer available on a smartphone. Then we developed a tiered benchmark system in which we could compare the features and functionalities of all the applications. Next, we analyzed how each functionality could contribute to prescription and medication adherence and its overall impact on public health. Results: Our analyzed data elucidate ways in which the diffusion of mobile applications designed specifically for patients with pharmacy needs will help improve prescription and mediation adherence by streamlining the entire prescription process. Features such as medication reminders and scheduling functionalities along with drug and health educational information contribute to improved adherence and overall health.