Effect of a Smart Pill Bottle Reminder Intervention on Medication Adherence, Self-efficacy, and Depression in Breast Cancer Survivors.
Hyang Rang Park, Hee Sun Kang, Soo Hyun Kim and 1 others
PMID 34661562WHAT IT FOUND
Breast cancer survivors using a smart pill bottle reminder had recorded medication adherence of 97.30% over 4 weeks, versus 88.33% with usual care.
Confidence in taking medication improved; depression did not differ.
Key findings
01At 28 days, recorded medication adherence was higher with the smart pill bottle reminder than usual care (97.30% vs 88.33%).
02Post-test medication self-efficacy was higher in the smart pill bottle group than in the control group (37.13 vs 33.93).
03Depression scores were lower in the smart pill bottle group at post-test (17.77 vs 20.41), but the study did not find a significant between-group difference.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in one university medical center in South Korea, so results may not apply to other settings. Only 57 women completed follow-up, and 1 woman from the intervention group and 3 women from the control group dropped out. The intervention lasted 28 days, while antiestrogen therapy continues for years, so long-term effects were not measured. Medication adherence was counted from bottle openings, which may overestimate doses actually taken. Adherence may also have been underestimated because only doses within 1 hour before or after the scheduled time were counted. All participants chose a researcher as helper, not a family member, so the helper effect may not generalize.
Declared interests
The authors report no funding or conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the smart pill bottle alone improved adherence. The intervention also included a beeping and blinking bottle, app dose recording, text reminders 20 minutes after the scheduled dose, helper phone calls 1 hour after a missed dose, and helper counseling, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.