Effectiveness of a reminder card system versus a mobile application to improve medication adherence among asthma patients in a tertiary care hospital

OBJECTIVES: Asthma is a major public health problem affecting a large number of individuals worldwide. The effectiveness of medications depends on adherence to the instructions of the prescriber. This study aimed to assess and compare the effectiveness of a reminder card system versus a mobile application to improve the medication adherence of asthma patients in a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: This prospective interventional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital. The scores were obtained from the Morisky medication adherence scale. RESULTS: In the card group, comparison of the baseline and follow-up scores for medication adherence showed a mean difference of 3.44, p = 0.001. The application group showed a mean difference of 4.02, p = 0.001, which reflects a highly significant association. Comparison of the effectiveness of reminder cards and the mobile application showed a mean difference of 0.72, p = 0.088 (>0.05) at baseline, showing no significant difference in adherence status before intervention. After intervention there was a mean difference of 0.86 (p = 0.001 < 0.05), indicating a significant difference in adherence status. CONCLUSION: Provision of proper interventional tools can improve asthma medication adherence. In this study, the mobile application was found to be more effective than medication reminder cards.