Use of a Smartphone Medication Reminder Application to Support Emerging Adult Adherence to Non-Antibiotic Treatment for Viral Upper Respiratory Tract Infection

• Published in: Journal of primary care & community health Vol. 13; p. 21501319221129732
• Main Authors: Brinker, David L., Foley, Kasey A., Zhou, Yanmengqian, Acevedo-Callejas, Michelle, Li, Yuwei, Farrell, Erina L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-10-2022; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Adherence; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Drugs; Efficacy; Health facilities; Innovations; Management; Original Research; Primary care; Respiratory diseases; Respiratory tract infections; Smartphones; Social support; Young adults; smartphone app; antimicrobial stewardship; student health; medication reminder; emerging adults
• ISSN: 2150-1319; 2150-1327
• DOI: 10.1177/21501319221129732

Objective:
This research study is a test of the efficacy of a smartphone-installed medication reminder application to support provider-recommended treatment plans for young adult patients who were seen for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and were not prescribed an antibiotic.
Methods:
Two hundred seventy-five patients seen at a university student health center for URTI symptoms were randomly assigned to the medication reminder app intervention or a control group and then surveyed both 1 and 14 days after their medical visits with questions about the treatment plan, their satisfaction with medical care, and the electronic support tools.
Results:
Compared to the control condition, patients using the reminder app reported more adherence to provider-recommended treatment plans. Patients with lower social support availability benefited more from being provided with these tools.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that medication reminder apps have utility for increasing patient adherence to non-antibiotic URTI treatment plans, particularly among patients who lack high-quality informational and tangible social support.
Innovation:
This study demonstrates innovation in use of the medication reminder app to promote antibiotic stewardship with young adult patients in primary care.