BENEFIT OF SMARTPHONE ALERTS TO IMPROVE ADHERENCE TO INHALED ASTHMA CONTROLLERS

Introduction Improved adherence to controller medications is associated with better asthma control and decreased incidence of asthma exacerbations. Achieving appropriate levels of adherence to daily inhaled medications for asthma is challenging. This study assessed the impact of automated smartphone alerts for missed or late controller inhaler use. Methods Patients with asthma (18+ years) were self-enrolled through web recruitment or enrolled through their PCP/ healthcare system (“managed”). Controller inhaler use was tracked with an electronic medication monitor, and automated alerts were sent to the patients’ smartphone as a push notification 15 minutes after a missed or late dose (based on medication schedule entered). Patients also had the ability to disable the alert to their phone. This study received IRB exemption. Results Data from 2,079 patients were analyzed, of which the majority had alerts enabled (86%, n=1802). Aggregate daily adherence of controller inhalers for patients who enabled the alert was higher than those who disabled the alert (38% vs. 34.4% among self-enrolled (p Conclusions Automated reminders among patients agreeing to receive them, may be beneficial for promoting controller inhaler adherence among adults with asthma. Understanding the characteristics of alert enablers, and their response to intervention, will provide further insight into the role of automated reminders to promote adherence.