Smartphone Application Feasibility for Improving Medication Adherence in Gout
A recent study assessing the feasibility and acceptability of a smartphone application (app) designed to improve medication adherence in patients with gout found the app feasible, highly acceptable, and associated with reductions in missed doses over time. The app utilized notifications to modify medication beliefs, with researchers evaluating differences in adherence outcomes and user feedback between intervention and control groups.
This study addresses the need for scalable interventions to support adherence in gout management, as patient beliefs about medication often influence their adherence behaviors.
In total, 52 patients with gout prescribed allopurinol were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 28) or an active control group (n = 24). Both groups used a smartphone application for 3 months, with the intervention group receiving adherence-focused notifications, while the control group received general health advice. Feasibility and acceptability were evaluated through semistructured interviews, while adherence was assessed via serum urate levels and missed doses at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months.
The smartphone app demonstrated high feasibility, with strong participant retention and compliance. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the app's user-friendliness and content, confirming its acceptability. Both groups showed a significant reduction in missed doses over time (P < .05), though there were no significant differences in serum urate levels between groups. Patients receiving adherence-targeted notifications found it more convenient to take allopurinol and expressed higher overall treatment satisfaction.
“Adherence-targeted notifications have the potential to be an effective and scalable approach to supporting medication adherence in patients with gout,” the study authors concluded. “Further research is needed with larger samples to refine the components of the intervention and explore its optimal implementation.”
Reference
Emad Y, Dalbeth N, Weinman J, Chalder T, Petrie KJ. Can smartphone notifications help with gout management? A feasibility study. J Rheumatol. 2024;51(2):189-196. Published 2024 Feb 1. doi:10.3899/jrheum.2023-0711