Use of a Smartphone Medication Reminder Application to Support Emerging Adult Adherence to Non-Antibiotic Treatment for Viral Upper Respiratory Tract Infection.

Abstract

This research study is a test of the efficacy of a smartphone-installed medication reminder application to support provider-recommended treatment plans for young adult patients who were seen for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and were not prescribed an antibiotic. Two hundred seventy-five patients seen at a university student health center for URTI symptoms were randomly assigned to the medication reminder app intervention or a control group and then surveyed both 1 and 14 days after their medical visits with questions about the treatment plan, their satisfaction with medical care, and the electronic support tools. Compared to the control condition, patients using the reminder app reported more adherence to provider-recommended treatment plans. Patients with lower social support availability benefited more from being provided with these tools. These findings suggest that medication reminder apps have utility for increasing patient adherence to non-antibiotic URTI treatment plans, particularly among patients who lack high-quality informational and tangible social support. This study demonstrates innovation in use of the medication reminder app to promote antibiotic stewardship with young adult patients in primary care.