Interactive Adherence Interventions in Long-Term Medications

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Evidence for Change

Evidence for Change provides a quick, evidence-based
overview of key behavioral science research that Atlantis
Health applies in supporting patients to achieve optimal
health outcomes.

 

Dr. Kate Perry is trained as a Health and Clinical Psychologist. As Group Behavioral Science Director at Atlantis Health, Kate oversees the integration of evidence from the behavioral sciences into innovative health behavior solutions that empower people living with long-term conditions to Change for Good.

Research selected

“Effect of Interactive eHealth Interventions on Improving Medication Adherence in Adults With Long-Term Medication: Systematic Review” by Bart P H Pouls, et al., Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Relevance today

Challenge: Nonadherence to long-term medications is a common and costly problem. This challenge is widely recognized among healthcare stakeholders and adherence interventions are becoming one of the major priorities in healthcare. Adherence interventions delivered through eHealth technologies are especially appealing as they provide accessible, scalable and interactive means for addressing nonadherence.

This 2021 paper reviews the current state of “interactive” eHealth interventions across long-term medications and considers the specific modes of delivery and strategies that have the most impact. Interactive interventions are defined here as interventions that include some form of tele-feedback where patients are provided responses based on their adherence behavior.

What the research tells us

The review considered 29 interactive eHealth interventions, the majority of which were delivered through mobile phone. The authors reported strong evidence for a positive effect for interventions using SMS or interactive voice response (IVR), mobile apps, and telephone calls as the mode of adherence tele-feedback. The most effective intervention strategies focused on:

teaching medication
management skills

improving health care quality and coordination between professionals

and facilitating doctor-patient communication or decision-making.

The intervention strategies to inform and educate did not show strong evidence, suggesting that patients require more active or engaging strategies to support adherence.

Applying the research to your work

Overall, this review shows that interactive eHealth interventions can improve medication adherence and that it takes more than information and education to drive behavior change. The focus on interactivity in this review is intriguing and speaks to the potential of eHealth technologies to engage users in ways that more traditional mediums cannot. Leveraging the interactive capabilities of eHealth technologies will only continue to be refined and developed. Current innovations in this space include the use of “digital coaches” and interactive e-modules to deliver adherence interventions.

Intervention strategies that improve patient’s treatment involvement and their medication management skills are most promising.

Conclusion

Atlantis Health leverages eHealth technologies to deliver personalised interactive patient support interventions that improve patient engagement and medication adherence across long-term health conditions. For example, a recently designed adherence app for people living with sleep disorders incorporates knowledge quizzes, symptom tracking and goal setting. The inclusion of these interactive elements is one reason why more than 60% of app users engage with the app every day.

Average medication adherence rates across therapeutic areas

When compared to average rates of adherence across therapeutic areas, Atlantis Health’s programs consistently improve medication adherence and drive behavior Change for Good.

Talk to us today about how we can help you improve medication adherence and patient outcomes through personalized interactive support interventions. 

 

Pouls BPH, Vriezekolk JE, Bekker CL, Linn AJ, van Onzenoort HAW, Vervloet M, van Dulmen S, van den Bernt BJF. Effect of interactive eHealth interventions on improving medication adherence in adults with long-term medication: Systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2021; 23(1):e18901.  https://doi.org/10.2196/18901 

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Change for Good

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