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An Interactive Mobile Phone–Website Platform to Facilitate Real-Time Management of Medication in Chronically ill Patients

  • Mobile & Wireless Health
  • Published:
Journal of Medical Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Poor adherence to medication is a prevalent issue that affects 50–60% of chronically ill patients. We present Medplan, a platform for patients/caregivers and healthcare professionals (HCPs) that aims to enhance adherence, increase patient medication knowledge, and facilitate communication between patients and HCPs. The Medplan platform was designed and developed by a multidisciplinary team composed of primary care and hospital physicians, pharmacists, patients, and developers. We questioned 62 patients in order to know their opinion about the different functions the app would incorporate and other possible features that should be taken into consideration. Medplan comprises a website for HCPs and an application (app) that is installed on the patient’s phone. The app is available in Spanish, Catalan, and English. The patient’s medication plan was introduced by the HCP and interfaced with the app. Each medicine is represented by an icon showing the indication of the treatment, the trade name, active ingredients, dose, and route of administration. Information about special requirements (e.g., need to take medication on an empty stomach), side effects, or lifestyle recommendations can also be provided. Additional functions include a medication reminder alarm system, by which patients can confirm whether or not they have taken the drug. Patients can self-track their adherence, and all data collected are sent automatically to the website for analysis by the HCP. Weekly motivation messages are sent to encourage adherence. A tool enabling interactive communication between patients and HCPs (primary care or hospital care) is also included. The app contains a feature enabling the HCP to verify the suitability of over-the-counter drugs. Medplan has the potential to significantly improve management of medication in chronically ill patients. A pilot study is being conducted to test whether Medplan is useful and effective.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmacy Service, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, Villarroel, 170 08036, Barcelona, Spain

    Helena Anglada-Martínez, Maite Martin-Conde, Marina Rovira-Illamola, Jose Miguel Sotoca-Momblona & Carles Codina-Jané

  2. GrupTransversal de Recerca en Atenció Primària, IDIBAPS University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Jose Miguel Sotoca-Momblona

  3. Consorci d’Atenció Primària de l’Eixample Casanova, GrupTransversal de Recerca en Atenció Primària, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Ethel Sequeira & Valentin Aragunde

Authors
  1. Helena Anglada-Martínez
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  2. Maite Martin-Conde
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  3. Marina Rovira-Illamola
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  4. Jose Miguel Sotoca-Momblona
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  5. Ethel Sequeira
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  6. Valentin Aragunde
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  7. Carles Codina-Jané
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Helena Anglada-Martínez.

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Authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Mobile & Wireless Health

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Anglada-Martínez, H., Martin-Conde, M., Rovira-Illamola, M. et al. An Interactive Mobile Phone–Website Platform to Facilitate Real-Time Management of Medication in Chronically ill Patients. J Med Syst 41, 122 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-017-0767-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-017-0767-7

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