None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Previous research has shown that poor adherence to cardiovascular medications is associated with a 10-40% greater risk of related hospitalisations and a 50-80% greater risk of death. The World Health Organization has suggested that increasing medication adherence may actually have a far greater impact than any specific medical treatment. Tools for promoting medication adherence might improve the benefits of prescribed medications and management of chronic diseases. Meanwhile, medication adherence is difficult not only to measure precisely but also to improve with a tool that patients would like to engage and operate. The TEXTCARE program, recently initiative by The George Institute for Global Health, found that SMS reminders doubled the odds of patients with chronic illnesses taking their medications correctly. A lot of smartphone applications for increasing medication adherence have been developed, however, most of their functions were limited to reminding patients of their medication schedule and never tested properly in randomized clinical trials. This study will investigate ‘Perx’, a newly developed iPhone application designed to encourage users to take their medications. Participants will be randomised to the Perx group or standard care group, who will receive education on medication compliance. Participants in the Perx group will be asked to download the app and will enter their personal and medication details under the supervision of their physician or research nurse. Once this is completed, users will receive regular reminders when their medication is due, and if they verify they have consumed their medication at the scheduled time they will be eligible to receive an opportunity to win an intermittent reward through a gamified interaction. The verification process can be useful to measure precise medication adherence rate and the instantaneous rewarding can help motivate and reinforce patients to adhere their medication. Participants in the Perx group will be encouraged to use the app for the 12 months duration of the study. We aim to determine the efficacy of Perx on medication adherence. We hypothesise that the Perx app will increase medication compliance among those suffering chronic disease/s and will improve clinical outcomes and hospitalisation rates.
Interventions
All participants will be educated on the importance of medication compliance as per standard care at baseline. Participants randomised to the 'Perx' intervention group will be asked to download the Perx iPhone application (app). They will be trained in its use during a 45 minute face-to-face session at baseline with the research nurse. The participants will enter their personal and medication information (name, dose, timing) into the app under the supervision of their physician or research nurse
All participants will be educated on the importance of medication compliance as per standard care at baseline. Participants randomised to the 'Perx' intervention group will be asked to download the Perx iPhone application (app). They will be trained in its use during a 45 minute face-to-face session at baseline with the research nurse. The participants will enter their personal and medication information (name, dose, timing) into the app under the supervision of their physician or research nurse. Once this is completed, users will begin to receive reminders each time their medication is due based on the information they entered initially. If they verify they have taken their medication at the scheduled time they will be eligible to receive an opportunity to win an intermittent reward through a gamified interaction. Users get rewarded with a game every time they verify that they've taken their medication at the right time. To verify medication adherence, the app requests the user to take a real-time, in-app photo of their medication within plus/minus an hour of when their medication is due. This photo cannot be taken from their existing gallery. The photos are saved on the Perx server and checked by Perx app designers. The frequency of games is dependent on their schedule (typically 1-3 times per day). This game is a short mini-game on screen such as a virtual ring toss or a match-3 scratch card. They play by using their phone screen. Participants in the Perx group will use the Perx app for the 12 month duration of the study.
Sponsors
Sydney Local Health District
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
- Diagnosed with at least one of the following chronic conditions: type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), heart failure, hypertension (HT), chronic kidney disease (CKD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - Taking a minimum of three different medications - Able to visit the clinic monthly over a 12 month period. - iPhone accessibility
Exclusion criteria
- Absence of a chronic disease controlled with medication - Unable to correctly use the Perx app or an iPhone - Inability to read and write English - Participants may also be excluded, if in the opinion of the study Investigators, they have some other condition or disorder that may adversely affect the outcome of the study or the safety of the Participant (e.g. psychiatric illness, substance abuse) - Unable to commit to the appointment schedule or perform the tasks required in the study
Outcome results
None listed