Effect of a reminder system using an automated short message service on medication adherence following acute coronary syndrome

Abstract

An automated SMS-based reminder system can potentially enhance medication adherence in ACS patients during the early post-discharge period.

Improving medication adherence in patients with cardiovascular disease: a systematic review

“…Four trials were small (<200 participants) and were performed in a single centre or country 15 16 18 19. Eleven trials were conducted in high-income countries,12 14 16 17 20–22 24 25 27 two trials in upper middle-income countries (Brazil and Malaysia) 15 19 28 and two in lower middle countries (India and Pakistan) 18 23. Two trials were conducted in a mix of high-income, upper middle-income and lower middle-income countries 13 26.…”

“…The interventions in each of these trials included a short message service reminder, a community health worker-based intervention and a fixed-dose combination intervention. In Khonsari et al  2015 study, participants in the intervention group received a short message service reminder before every intake of cardiovascular medication for 8 weeks following discharge after acute myocardial infarction 19. Two of every three (65%) participants in the intervention group who received SMS reminders had a high adherence level compared with approximately one of every seven (13%) participants in the usual care group.…”

EpxMedTracking: Feasibility Evaluation of an SMS-Based Medication Adherence Tracking System in Community Practice

“…Studies have also shown that SMS text-based medication reminders can result in significantly higher levels of medication adherence, fewer hospital admissions, and lower mortality rates [7,8]. …”

The problem with non-adherence arising from medical practices

“…Unintentional non-adherence has received less attention than intentional non-adherence, and studies on unintentional non-adherence mostly focus merely on patients and on how to help them to remember and to be able to take their medications. 5,6 That was also the starting point for our study trying to find out why patients do not take their antithrombotic medicines after a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedure. From the national registry it was possible to determine which patients had not bought their medications from the pharmacies and it turned out that almost half of the patients had never bought a single package of a P2Y receptor inhibitor (clopidogrel, prasugrel or ticagrelor).…”