Technology & Adherence Programs

Technology's Impact on Patient Adherence Programs

With all the available types of technology that help to promote patient adherence programs, Lash Group's Senior Vice President of Operations, Susan Stinson, joins knowledgedriven.com to provide her insight on what those technologies consist of and how, when and--most importantly--if patients and caregivers can use them to their advantage. 

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, by 2020 about 157 million Americans will be afflicted by chronic illnesses.  With rising concerns of things like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes as well as an aging population, it's no surprise instances of chronic medical conditions are increasing-along with the need for improved medication persistence.  Helping to combat these challenges is a myriad of technologies.  Everything from mobile phone apps to RFID-enabled microchips can be put to use to promote better adherence. 

Lash Group has seen cases where the right adherence program has been paired with the right technologies to increase patients' duration of therapy by 40 percent. The numbers alone make it tempting for many manufacturers to dive head first into a technology-driven approach to adherence programs. It's important, though, to find the right mix of traditional adherence tactics and technology tools that will support the needs of all your stakeholders: patients, providers, caregivers, payers and employers.

Consider the following best practices when developing your adherence strategies.

1. Know Your Patient
   Not all patients are tech-savvy and not all technologies will work for every patient.  Before recommending a support strategy, try to understand not only the disease state of someone in need of treatment, but also their motivation and their real-world challenges. 
   "Pull" communications that require patients to log their medication intake may not work well if the targeted patients lack motivation to complete their regimens or the proper know-how to track their medications online. A text message notification about when to take one's medication might provide a simple, effortless reminder for patients and produce similar results for the manufacturer at a lower cost.
2. Track and Utilize Results
   Database market research can provide tremendous insight into particular disease states and how technology-enabled adherence programs could help improve results.  For example, understanding potential or typical drop-off points for a specific drug regimen can help manufacturers determine how and when to intervene.
3. Make it a Family Affair
   As I mentioned earlier, not all patients would consider themselves tech-savvy.  However, it's important to remember who the primary caregiver might be. Elderly patients often rely on their children to track the medications they take.  Doctors and family members can collaborate in these situations to ensure adherence is at its highest.
   Smart phone apps can be used for pill-specific calendar organization, electronic instructions that include the medications' location in the home and when they should be taken, as well as automated reminders for reordering. Having an adherence program tie-in to these types of technologies can make medication management more convenient for caregivers-and thus, more effective for patients.
4. "Like It" on Social Media
   Putting patients in touch with others who suffer from the same conditions they do can be invaluable for improving adherence and motivation.  Building a strong support group can start online with social media websites.  Having the ability to stay in touch with those who share an ailment enables individuals to ask questions, share concerns and share triumphs while battling certain diseases. 
   Sites like Facebook can offer patients a chance to network with unlimited boundaries. For example, the Livestrong page has more than 1.6 million "likes," with each one representing a potential member of an online support group for those affected by cancer in some way.
5. Don't Leave Out the Human Touch
   Let's not forget that live encounters with patients are extremely important.  Although technology has increased the ways in which caregivers can interact with those receiving care, the most successful programs are those that incorporate a good balance of technology along with the human touch.  Technology has done wonders for adherence programs, but interacting face-to-face or at least by phone can never be replaced.
   Take for example the possible side effects caused by a particular medication.  It's crucial that these messages are delivered in a way patients understand them so they're educated on how to manage possible reactions.  Delivering merely a data download to a patient is not enough.  Rather, directly explaining the possible side effects one might experience and giving that person options to deal with them is a preferred route for most healthcare professionals. Technology can then serve as a supplementary reference tool. 

There's no doubt that technology plays a critical role as we urge patients to stay on medications longer to help treat the growing litany of chronic conditions. However, using just one or two of these techniques as a supplementary means to promote adherence is our recommended approach for achieving the most positive outcomes in the most cost-effective manner. 

To learn more about how Lash Group has worked with clients in the past to optimize their adherence programs, go to avoiddropoff.com.