Text alerts 'help prompt people to take their pills'

Conclusion This randomised study found a text messaging reminder service led to more people taking medication as prescribed. It appears this was because not taking the medication or not responding to the text led to a discussion with a healthcare professional, which influenced people to continue taking their medicines. The study was clearly reported and was of adequate size to find a difference between the two groups, if there was one. But, as with all studies, there are some limitations to consider. The results of the study may not be applicable to everyone. The recruitment process meant the participants were already interested in receiving text prompts to remember to take their medication. There could be many reasons for this, but perhaps the most obvious one is they already recognised they sometimes forgot to take their pills and were keen on a reminder. There was no clinical difference between the two groups in terms of blood pressure or cholesterol. But these measurements were only taken on one occasion at the end of the trial. As there was no baseline level, we do not know if there was any improvement in the levels because of their use of medication during the trial period. The study did not blind the treatment allocation to either the clinical assessors of medicine adherence or the researchers analysing the data. Although unlikely, the medical assessors could have introduced bias into the results, especially if they had preconceived ideas about whethe...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news