Text Message Reminders helps Seniors stay on top of Medications

A recent study published in the May issue of Clinical Therapeutics concluded that text message reminders to take prescription medication helped increase patient adherence to treatment plans. This was the first large scale study involving 580 employer-sponsored and Medicare members with different medical conditions. The study found that patients who received text message reminders adhered to medication regiments 85% of time compared to 77% adherence rates for those that didn't. Among patients on chronic anti-diabetes medication the adherence rates wer even higher at 91% for those receiving text message reminders as opposed to 82 percent adherence for those who did not receive reminders. 

From the press release regarding the study:

“This research provides strong evidence that technology can play a vital role in improving medication adherence, even among older patients” said Brian K. Solow, M.D., chief medical officer, OptumRx. “This is of great importance to all stakeholders in health care because poor medication adherence can lead to inferior treatment outcomes, higher hospitalization rates and increased health care costs.”

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“Text messages and emerging technologies offer new opportunities to educate and engage patients so they can improve their health and ultimately rein in their health care costs,” said Kalee Foreman, Pharm.D, OptumRx, lead author of the study. “A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that nearly 70 percent of medication-related hospital admissions in the United States are due to poor medication adherence, costing the health care system roughly $100 billion per year.”