First patients enrolled in my a:care clinical trial in Thailand

  • Trial of an estimated 150 participants will evaluate treatment adherence rate in dyslipidemic patients using my a:care
  • my a:care is a unique mobile application to tackle the lack of adherence in patients, using proven behavioral science techniques, and it is available in emerging countries where access to care can be challenging

Globally, more than 50% of medicines prescribed for long-term illnesses are not taken as directed1. Non-adherence to medication can lead to a range of problems, including premature death and increased healthcare costs2. In cardiovascular diseases, non-adherence to medications can increase a patient’s risk of death from 50% to 80%3.

The reasons behind poor adherence are multi-faceted and vary by individual patient4,underlining the importance of tailoring health interventions to best fit the patient’s needs.

The trial aims to evaluate the effect of my a:care mobile application on medication adherence by encouraging patients with dyslipidemia to self-care through randomized motivational challenges and virtual rewards linked to their pill reminder alerts.
The protocol of the study is available here

How will objectives be assessed?

The primary objective is to assess the change in adherence to lipid-lowering treatment in patients with dyslipidemia. This will be assessed by means of change from baseline in the 5-point Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5) questionnaire score after 12 weeks of treatment.

The secondary objective is to evaluate the level of lipid control in patients with dyslipidemia. This will be assessed by means of change from baseline of triglyceride (TG), Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), non- High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), Total Cholesterol (TC) after 12 weeks of treatment.

More information about my a:care app is available here:

my a:care app is free and available for patients to download on the App Store and Google Play.

This mobile application is available in a limited list of countries. It is not available in the USA or EU.

References

  1. Sabate, E . (2003) Adherence to long-term therapies: evidence for action. Geneva: World Health Organization.
  2. Khan, R. and K. Socha-Dietrich (2018), Investing in medication adherence improves health outcomes and health system efficiency: Adherence to medicines for diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidaemia, OECD Health Working Papers, No. 105, OECD Publishing, Paris. Last accessed 11/05/2022
  3. Ho PM, Bryson CL, Rumsfeld JS. Medication adherence: its importance in cardiovascular outcomes. Circulation. 2009 Jun 16;119(23):3028-35.
  4. Kardas P, Lewek P, Matyjaszczyk M. Determinants of patient adherence: a review of systematic reviews. Front Pharmacol. 2013 Jul 25;4:91