The effect of electronic reminders on patients' adherence to topical emollient in patients with foot xerosis

Abstract

Background: Medication adherence serves a very important role in the management of medical conditions, since it is one of the main factors that determines successful treatment outcomes. Medication non-adherence to topical treatment is reported to occur in up to 50% of the population, with a negative impact on the patient’s medical condition. Preventing this from occurring is vital in order to reduce patient hospitalization and related complications. Therefore, because of the negative impact that medical non-adherence can have on both the patient and health economics, non-adherence should be considered as a major public health concern and should be further investigated in order to find ways to reduce non-adherence to medication and increase successful treatment outcomes. Aim: The main aim of the study was to determine whether daily electronic reminders are an effective means of increasing medical adherence to topical treatment in patients with xerosis. Research Design: A cohort of 47 participants which fit the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited from the Community Health Centres (Paola & Mosta Health Centres). Participants were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either the experiment group or control group. Participants in the experiment group were provided with an emollient and received daily electronic reminders whilst the participant in the control group were only provided with the emollient. The participants’ xerotic skin was analysed using a foot xerosis scale and a digital moisture monitor. These reading were taken at baseline and after the 4-week study period. Results: It was noted that participants from both groups had significant improvements in their percentage skin hydration and xerosis score (p=0.00). Furthermore, when the results of both groups were compared, a significant difference was present between the two groups (p=0.00), indicating that the experiment group had higher mean percentage scores. Conclusion: In conclusion, the finding of this study show that daily electronic reminders are an effective, customizable and cheap means of improving medication adherence to topical treatment. Electronic reminders along with other interventions, if applied within the community, may be key in addressing the problem of medication non-adherence.