Satisfaction and Usability of a Commercially Available Medication Adherence App (Medisafe) Among Medically Underserved Patients With Chronic Illnesses: Survey Study

Background
Research supports the use of mobile phone apps to promote medication adherence, but the use of and satisfaction with these apps among medically underserved patients with chronic illnesses remain unclear.


Objective
This study reports on the overall use of and satisfaction with a medication adherence app (Medisafe) in a medically underserved population.


Methods
Medically underserved adults who received care for one or more chronic illnesses at a federally qualified health center (FQHC) were randomized to an intervention group in a larger randomized controlled trial and used the app for 1 month (n=30), after which they completed a web-based survey. Objective data on app usage were provided as secondary data by the app company.


Results
The participants were very satisfied with the app, with all participants (30/30, 100%) somewhat or strongly agreeing that they would recommend the app to family and friends. Participants strongly agreed (28/30, 93%) that the reminders helped them remember to take their medications at the correct time each day, and they (28/30, 93%) found the app easy to use. Additional features accessed by some included educational features and the adherence report. Participants noted the helpfulness of having a medication list on their phones, and some used it during medication reconciliation at doctor visits. Use of the Medfriend feature, which alerts a social support person if a medication is missed, was low (n=2), but those who used it were very positive about the feature.


Conclusions
A commercially available medication adherence app was found to be useful by participants, and they were satisfied with the app and the additional features provided. The use of medication adherence mobile phone apps has the potential to positively influence chronic disease management in a medically underserved population on a large scale.


Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05098743; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05098743