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Tag: adherence
10/18/2023

Telehealth Supports Retention in Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

Article Excerpt: Starting buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder through telehealth was associated with an increased likelihood of staying in treatment longer compared to starting treatment in a non-telehealth setting, according to a new study analyzing Medicaid data from 2019-2020 in Kentucky and Ohio. Published in JAMA Network Open, these findings add to a growing body of evidence demonstrating positive outcomes associated with the use of telemedicine for treatment of opioid use disorder.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/zdzcfn9k

Article Source: NIDA News

Posted in: Emerging Technologies, Uncategorized // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
09/05/2022

Effect of Digital Adherence Tools on Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment Among Adults Living With HIV in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Sumari-de Boer IM, Ngowi, KM, Sonda TB, Pima FM, Masika LV, Sprangers MAG, Reiss P, Mmbaga BT, Nieuwkerk PT, Aarnoutse RE. (2021). Effect of Digital Adherence Tools on Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment Among Adults Living With HIV in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: A Randomized Controlled Trial. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 87:5, 1136-1144, doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000002695

This study investigated two digital antiretroviral HIV treatment adherence interventions among adults with suboptimal adherence living in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania using a parallel 3-arm, non-blinded, randomized controlled trial with 1:1:1 allocation. In one arm, 80 participants received reminder text messages (SMS) on 3 random days a week. In the second arm, 82 participants received a real-time medication monitoring device (RTMM) called Wisepill with SMS reminders. The device contains antiretroviral treatment, and each opening is registered and sent to an Internet server. If participants do not open before the end of the dosage window, a text reminder is sent. In the third arm, 81 participants received treatment as usual according to Tanzanian guidelines (minimal adherence counseling by nurses or pharmacists and annual viral load test). Proportion of participants who have sufficient treatment adherence (>85% of doses) was collected at enrollment and every 8 weeks for 48 weeks (total of 7 timepoints) using pharmacy refill counts and self-report. Over 48 weeks, no significant difference in self-reported adherence was found between the three arms. The average adherence based on pharmacy refills was also not significantly different across the three arms. None of the intervention arms showed a significant effect on viral suppression rates. Overall, the study’s findings do not support the use of RTMM or SMS reminder cues as a means to significantly improve adherence to HIV treatment. The difference in pharmacy refill counts compared to self-reported adherence might be due to social desirability and overreporting in all arms. More research is needed to explore how digital interventions can be used to optimize adherence across risk groups, including children, youth, and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Posted in: Cutting Edge Literature // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ;
07/28/2022

Telehealth by Phone, Video Proves Lifeline for Veterans with Opioid Addiction

Article Excerpt: For people with opioid addiction, many hurdles stand in the way of getting effective treatment – and COVID-19 could have made it harder. But with widespread implementation of telehealth, a new study shows, more people are receiving treatment, even amid the pandemic. The national study looked at the care received by veterans who received buprenorphine to treat their opioid use disorder both before and after the pandemic shifted care to telehealth visits in early 2020. It shows that virtual visits with addiction care providers allowed many patients to stay on their medication to support their recovery throughout the first year of the pandemic.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/mestnh7z

Article Source: Michigan Medicine

Posted in: Emerging Technologies // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
03/28/2022

Are caregivers ready for digital? Caregiver preferences for health technology tools to monitor medication adherence among patients with serious mental illness

Forma F, Chiu K, Shafrin J, Boskovic DH, & Veeranki SP. (2022). Are caregivers ready for digital? Caregiver preferences for health technology tools to monitor medication adherence among patients with serious mental illness. Digital health, 8, 20552076221084472. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076221084472

This study explored the preferences and willingness-to-pay for digital tools that monitor medication adherence among caregivers of persons with serious mental illness (SMI). Among digital tools, four options were identified: (1) smart pill bottles that records the frequency the bottle is opened or closed; (2) smart pill dispenser that sorts and organizes pills for use; (3) mobile apps; and (4) pills embedded with an ingestible event market (IEM) sensor that signals to a mobile app upon medication ingestion. Researchers administered a web-based survey to 184 caregivers of adult SMI patients recruited through phone, conferences, social media, and referrals. Fifty-seven participants cared for bipolar depression, 61 for major depressive disorder, and 66 for schizophrenia. The survey instrument consists of a discrete choice experiment module that assesses the caregivers’ preferences for adherence monitoring tools. Specifically, the survey includes items to assess source of medication adherence information, medication adherence information accessibility, patients’ report of wellbeing, and caregivers’ monthly out-of-pocket cost for the health technology tool. Results demonstrated that caregivers highly preferred a medical adherence tool using a pill embedded with an IEM sensor and tracking patients’ well-being compared to a non-digital pill organizer. Caregivers were willing to pay on average $255 more per month for this tool than a pill organizer. Findings suggest that caregivers value digital tools that monitor adherence and track their loved ones’ health.

Posted in: Cutting Edge Literature // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ;
12/01/2021

Startups Use Tech, ‘Gamification’ for Public Health Problems

Article Excerpt: Matthew Loper’s mission to use technology and science to revolutionize health care began when he observed vastly different outcomes for relatives with the same disease… Loper, one of a bevy of entrepreneurs seeking to transform health care and insurance through technology, wanted to understand how the outcomes could diverge so extremely. “How do you actually create motivation in people?” Loper said. “How do you get someone who never would have gone to see their doctor or taken those medications, or used that app, to actually follow through with it?”  Wellth (an app that incentivizes users to make healthy choices, like regularly taking medicine), founded in 2014, seeks the answers by employing behavioral economics, which takes into account individual biases and how they affect decision-making.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/ycknpmxz

Article Source: Medical Xpress

Posted in: Emerging Technologies // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
04/08/2021

How to Address Social Determinants of Health — Start with Texting

Article Excerpt: One of the most daunting challenges facing healthcare organizations today is how to improve care results and patient outcomes for those negatively impacted by social determinants of health (SDOH)… Social determinants are also associated with patient nonadherence, which adds another wrinkle to the already complex problem… The question then becomes what strategies can providers leverage to address social determinants and nonadherence that will lead to improved patient engagement and outcomes? One current approach is for providers to reassess how they connect with patients that fall within these demographics and consider tapping the technology that most people use every day. Text messaging has been found to be one of the most effective and efficient ways to extend a provider’s reach to patients and get results.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/3xy7mdaw

Article Source: Medical Economics

Posted in: Emerging Technologies // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
10/02/2020

Is there a trial bias impacting user engagement with unguided e-mental health interventions? A systematic comparison of published reports and real-world usage of the same programs

Baumel A, Edan S, Kane J. (2019). Is there a trial bias impacting user engagement with unguided e-mental health interventions? A systematic comparison of published reports and real-world usage of the same programs. Translational Behavioral Medicine. 9(6): 1020–1033. doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibz147

Researchers conducted a systematic comparison of trial-based and real-world use of unguided digital mental health interventions. Read More

Posted in: Cutting Edge Literature // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ;
03/13/2019

Pain: Yes, There’s an App for That

Article Excerpt: Apps are getting better…There’s a real argument that with less accessibility to therapists, especially those who specialize in pain, innovative technology platforms can offer a definite benefit.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/y2ycj8hm

Article Source: MedPage Today

Posted in: Emerging Technologies, News // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
02/15/2019

OpenSIMPLe: A real-world implementation feasibility study of a smartphone-based psychoeducation programme for bipolar disorder

Hidalgo-Mazzei D, Reinares M, Mateu A, et al. (2018). OpenSIMPLe: A real-world implementation feasibility study of a smartphone-based psychoeducation programme for bipolar disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders. 241: 436-445. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.08.048

SIMPLe is a self-tracking and psychoeducation app for bipolar disorder that allows users to complete daily brief symptom assessments and in-depth weekly assessments and receive psychoeducational messages. Read More

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