"Smart" Pill Bottles + $ + Support Not Enough to Improve Adherence for Heart Attack Patients
New research shows smart pill bottles may not be the cure for medication adherence, but researchers are still holding out hope that new technology, paired with behavioral interventions, can make an impact.
The use of electronic pill bottles that tracked when patients took medication, combined with monetary incentives and support from friends, family and engagement advisers, offered no significant improvement in medication adherence for patients that were recovering from a heart attack, according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
“What we found was a little bit surprising and a little bit disappointing,” Kevin Volpp, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the University of Pennsylvania and lead author of the study, said in an accompanying interview. He added that there was no significant difference between the two groups when it came to inpatient rehospitalizations, ED visits, medication adherence or total costs.
Further Reading:
“Want to Know If Your Mom Took Her Pills? There's an App & Gizmo for That!”; http://sco.lt/5NDaOP
“Lilly's ‘Intermittent Wiper’ Moment: Accused of Stealing Drug Adherence Tool”; http://sco.lt/6YQURl