Assessing the acceptability of a text messaging service and smartphone app to support patient adherence to medications prescribed for high blood pressure: a pilot study.

Abstract

Aims and objectives. This paper describes the pilot study of a highly tailored text message and smartphone app intervention to increase adherence to anti-hypertensive medication in primary care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acceptability of the intervention and obtain patients views about the intervention content, the delivery mode, and the mechanisms by which the intervention supported medication adherence. Methods. Patients diagnosed with hypertension were invited to the study via general practice text message invitation and recruited face to face by the researcher team. Participants tested the text message intervention for 28 or the text message followed by the app for 56 days. Participants completed baseline and follow up questionnaires and took part in a weekly or end of intervention telephone interviews. Digital log files captured patients’ usage of the intervention. Participant transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data from questionnaires and log files. A mixed methods analysis generated data to respond to the research questions. Results. 79 patients expressed their interest to participate in this study and 23 of these patients were recruited to take part. With one drop-out, 22 participants tested the text message delivery mode (with 20 being interviewed) and four requested to switch to the app (with 3 being interviewed). All participants used and engaged with the text message and app notifications, and most participants found the intervention content and delivery mode acceptable. They also self-reported that the intervention supported them to take their medications as prescribed. Conclusion. This study provides evidence that the digital intervention is acceptable by hypertensive patients recruited in primary care, thus it should be tested for its effectiveness using rigorous research methods. ISRCTN12805654 https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN12805654

The feasibility of the PAM intervention to support treatment-adherence in people with hypertension in primary care: a randomised clinical controlled trial

“…The PAM intervention was based on a theoretical framework that distinguishes between intentional non-adherence (INA) and non-intentional non-adherence (NINA) 19 , mapped onto theoretical determinants of adherence; namely, beliefs and attitudes about medication taking, self-efficacy and social norms 20 . The intervention was informed by evidence from our qualitative studies 20 , 21 , systematic reviews 15 , 22 , a previous medication adherence trial 14 , a pilot study 23 , stakeholders’ consultations and Patients and Public Involvement and Engagement 18 , 20 .…”