Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home IT Management
    • IT Management
    • Mobile

    Tablet App Helps Patients Remember to Take Medicine

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    May 26, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      health tech and tablet apps

      A tablet application designed to help elderly patients remember when to take their daily doses of medicine proved to be highly beneficial and was successfully adopted by the patients tested, according to a paper published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

      The study, which involved 99 elderly Spanish patients (48 in the control group and 51 in the experimental group), indicated the app, called ALICE, resulted in fewer missed doses of medication and helped to significantly reduce medication errors in patients with an initially higher rate of errors.

      Patients with no experience with information and communication technologies reported better adherence, fewer missed doses and fewer medication errors.

      The mean satisfaction score for ALICE was 8.5 out of 10, and in all, 45 of 51 patients (88 percent) felt that ALICE improved their independence in managing their medications, suggesting tablet applications can be highly beneficial to elderly patients living on their own.

      ALICE was designed for Google Android and Apple iOS devices to allow for the personalization of prescriptions and medical advice, showing images of each of the medications (the packaging and the medication itself) together with alerts and multiple reminders for each alert.

      “The ALICE app improves adherence, helps reduce rates of forgetting and of medication errors, and increases perceived independence in managing medication,” the report said. “Elderly patients with no previous experience with information and communication technologies are capable of effectively using an app designed to help them take their medicine more safely.”

      The study said ALICE and similar apps have a broad potential not only for patients, but also for professionals because they can provide useful information about how patients adapt the therapeutic regimen to their life style.

      In addition, these apps can be adapted to the habits and life style of patients to make it simpler for them to take their medication because it is known that these factors are the main cause of nonadherence.

      The paper suggested further studies on virtual pillboxes for tablets and smartphones could explore whether adherence can be improved by personalization of treatment regimens, and said future research should assess to what extent these tools are useful for older individuals living alone, a situation that is expected to be the reality for a growing number of patients in the near future.

      However, some results also indicated there is more work to be done concerning interaction with tablets and the applications they come with, as more than half of the patients from the experimental group (59 percent) required individual support once they joined the study to solve problems related to the use of ALICE.

      Most of these (31 percent) concerned charging the battery and restarting the system. Overall, more than half of the patients in the experimental group (59 percent) reported that the ALICE app improved their medication use.

      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×