Advantages and disadvantages of technologies designed to improve chronic medication adherence in cardiovascular disease
| Technology | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Medication container alarms39 | Simple, cheap, evidence for improved adherence | Poor uptake |
| SMS reminders35 36 | Cheap, convenient for patients, evidence for short term benefit on adherence | No proven effect in long term |
| Nurse-led telephone calls37 | Patient-specific, evidence for improved adherence | Resource-heavy in terms of staff hours |
| Computer-based education modules40 | Encourages patient participation, patients better informed about their condition | May be inconvenient for patients, no evidence of improved adherence. |
| Interactive Voice Response technology41 | Useful for large numbers of patients, can create tailored responses, evidence for improved adherence | May be viewed as impersonal |
| Online records42 | Convenient for patients | Risk of confidentiality breach, no evidence of improved medication adherence |
| Smartphone/tablet applications43–45 | Interactive, tailored to individual patients, evidence for improved adherence | Expensive, may not be accessible to all cohorts of patients |