Ticking off daily pills in an app helped people finish treatment and get retested
Who it’s about: Adults, People with a health condition
- HelpedGoals
With an app to tick off daily pills, 95 in 100 took most doses, against 79 with standard advice.
- Action: Track your progresstested
- Action: Take your medicationused
- Rule: Through an appused
- Rule: Every dayused
Randomised trial of 254 adults treated for a stomach infection in China · vs standard advice and two phone calls · behaviour was recorded
- HelpedGoals
With the app, which also showed the date, 81 in 100 kept up well with the check-up test, against 44.
Randomised trial of 254 adults treated for a stomach infection in China · vs standard advice and two phone calls · behaviour was recorded
- HelpedProcrastination
The app group had the check-up test sooner than the other group: about 36 days after treatment, against 73.
Randomised trial of 254 adults treated for a stomach infection in China · vs standard advice and two phone calls · behaviour was recorded
The study
Who took part
254 adults aged 18 to 70 starting treatment for a stomach infection (H. pylori) at one hospital in China. Half were put in each group.
What they did
For 14 days, the app group tapped 'start' and 'finish' each day, and each done day got a tick on a calendar. On the last day, the app showed the date of the check-up test. The other group got the usual advice, plus phone calls on day 14 and two months later.
What happened
95 in 100 in the app group took more than four in five of their doses, against 79 in 100. 81 in 100 kept up well with the check-up test, against 44 in 100. The app group also had the test about five weeks sooner.
Source
A day-to-day management model improves patient compliance to treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection: a prospective, randomized controlled study. (2023)
DOI: 10.1186/s13099-023-00556-x (opens in a new tab)
