While the results of this systematic review are promising , there is insufficient evidence to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of text message-based interventions for adherence to medications for secondary prevention of CVD .
BACKGROUND Worldwide at least 100 million people are thought to have prevalent cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) .
This population has a five times greater chance of suffering a recurrent cardiovascular event than people without known CVD .
Secondary CVD prevention is defined as action aim ed to reduce the probability of recurrence of such events .
Drug interventions have been shown to be cost-effective in reducing this risk and are recommended in international guidelines .
However , adherence to recommended treatments remains sub-optimal .
In order to influence non-adherence , there is a need to develop scalable and cost-effective behaviour-change interventions .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of mobile phone text messaging in patients with established arterial occlusive events on adherence to treatment , fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events , and adverse effects .
Mobilizing Your Medications: An Automated Medication Reminder Application for Mobile Phones and Hypertension Medication Adherence in a High-Risk Urban Population
Background : Hypertension frequently accompanies diabetes mellitus , worsening prognosis and complicating medical care for patients . Low medication adherence with multiple medications is a major factor in the inadequate achievement of blood pressure treatment goals . Widespread access to mobile phones offers a new opportunity to communicate with patients and enhance disease self-management . Methods : We recruited 50 high-risk urban patients with hypertension , who are using at least two prescription medications for hypertension , into an open-label trial using medication reminder software on a mobile phone . Medication adherence was assessed by review of pharmacy refill rates before , during , and after availability of the medication reminder software ( pre-activation , activation , and post-activation phase , respectively ) . Results : Forty-eight patients completed the study . All subjects were insured by Medicaid , 96 % were African-American , and the majority had diabetes mellitus . The proportion of days covered for each study phase was as follows : Pre-activation phase = 0.54 , activation phase = 0.58 , and post-activation phase = 0.46 . A significant difference was found between the activation and post-activation phases ( p = .001 ) . The increase in measured adherence between the pre-activation and activation phases approached significance ( p = .057 ) . Forty-six patients completed the pre- and post-Morisky medication adherence survey . The median score rose from 2.0 at baseline to 3.0 at study completion ( p < .001 ) . Average blood pressure and level of control during study period improved significantly after initiation of the study and remained improved from baseline through the course of the study . The 48 subjects who completed the study reported a high level of satisfaction with the medication reminder application at the final study visit . Conclusions : A mobile-phone-based automated medication reminder system shows promise in improving medication adherence and blood pressure in high-cardiovascular-risk individuals
While the results of this systematic review are promising , there is insufficient evidence to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of text message-based interventions for adherence to medications for secondary prevention of CVD .
BACKGROUND Worldwide at least 100 million people are thought to have prevalent cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) .
This population has a five times greater chance of suffering a recurrent cardiovascular event than people without known CVD .
Secondary CVD prevention is defined as action aim ed to reduce the probability of recurrence of such events .
Drug interventions have been shown to be cost-effective in reducing this risk and are recommended in international guidelines .
However , adherence to recommended treatments remains sub-optimal .
In order to influence non-adherence , there is a need to develop scalable and cost-effective behaviour-change interventions .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of mobile phone text messaging in patients with established arterial occlusive events on adherence to treatment , fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events , and adverse effects .