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Objectives: Do medication adherence apps have sufficient features to be of appropriate quality for patient use?
Study Design: Development of a quality assessment tool and evaluation of medication adherence apps
Methods: A quality assessment tool comprising of 24 items was developed based on a comprehensive literature review. The items assessed content reliability, feature usefulness and feature convenience of medication adherence apps. The apps were downloaded from the two major app stores (Google Play and iTunes). Inclusion criteria were: ability to handle multiple medications for multiple disease conditions, presence of a medication reminder feature, availability of the app on both platforms and published in English. Two evaluators independently rated eligible apps.
Results: A total of 483 apps were screened. Thirty-nine apps (20 iOS and 19 android) fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were free of technical malfunctions. A wide range of quality was observed, with apps scoring between 8/43 (18.6%) and 28/43 (65.1%). More than half (24 apps, 61.5%) scored below 22/43 (51.2%). The highest-ranking app on the iOS platform scored 28/43 (65.1%) while the highest score for apps in the android platform was 27/43 (62.8%). All of the apps were unable to schedule medication tapers and did not have features for self-management of side-effects. Moreover, 32 (82.1%) apps did not consist of disease- and medication-related information.
Conclusions: Most medication adherence apps have deficiencies in features that limit their usefulness for patients. Developers of such apps should consider features that provide therapy-related information and help patients in medications and side-effects management.