Reimagining Reminders to Increase Medication Adherence in Older Adults

Nonadherence to medication is a growing problem across all demographics, particularly older adults who are the most likely to be taking multiple medications. Nonadherence has yet to be solved by digital health technologies. Forgetfulness is one of the main contributors to unintentional nonadherence, which hundreds of medication management apps and devices seek to address by generating time-based reminders. However, most medications are prescribed to be taken within a time frame, such as "in the morning" or "before breakfast," rather than at a specific hour. Similarly, many components of daily living occur within time frames rather than exact times. Timed reminders do not always correlate with prescription instructions nor daily life; this mismatch may lead to a patient's lack of success in reducing forgetfulness. In domains other than medication prescribed "as-needed," instead of timed reminders, have been successfully deployed. Borrowing this notion may lead to medication reminders that are accepted and responded to, reducing forgetfulness and leading to healthier aging in the home.