Overall App Summary:
The Pill Reminder app by Drugs.com is a straightforward app allowing patients to remember to take their medications. Compared to other apps, Pill Reminder has a diverse mechanism to enter medication times and information, which may be of benefit to patients with complex medication regimens. App feeds on the reassurance aspect that has the time and photo of the medications and it does do this well– however, it relies on input and reminders that are questionable in terms of escalation and usability by the elderly. Its like having an electric version of the pill box but given that it relies on manual entry, it can certainly be wrong.
What is the app’s intended use?
The Pill Reminder app is simple in that it is aimed at helping patients remember to take their medications. Users may track their medication history, and share it with others, as well.
Who should use this app?
This app is useful for patients seeking help to track their medications and to share their data with others. The app is straightforward and serves as a reminder tool in its essential state. Fundamentally, a better solution for folks who are both a bit tech savvy and on a lot of meds so they have to remember and keep track.
How should one use the app?
Use it immediately on getting a prescribed meds as a way to organize that is “on the go”. Same as at a nutritional supplement store where given app as well.
Why should they use it? Is the mobile app clinically relevant?
This app will be useful for patients with complex regimens to record and monitor their adherence. Clinical utility of such apps is complex at this current time in the literature, though benefit would be reasonable in select patients.
Is there any published evidence that the app actually works (that its effective)?
No studies from Drugs.com based on their app or any documentation of ongoing studies.
What is the most important/ desirable feature of the app? Is the app too complex?
Simple reminders for taking pills. However, compared to other medication reminder apps, this app relies on much more freehand text entering. This may be a benefit to patients with complex medication regimens, that may be outside standard prescribing regimens. However, for patients with simple regimens, this may be time consuming.
How would you compare this app to others in this class of apps?
Compared to other apps, Pill Reminder is inferior in terms of design or unique features. The app itself is rather straightforward in its approach to creating a medication regimen to adhere to with reminders. It has no sharing features outside of email. Its has a much more freehand mechanism to enter medications which may be of benefit (see above) but may be time consuming for some patients.
Is the app easy to use?
Overall good usability; easy to learn to use; however, input of medications could be complicated based on amount of free range to enter information into the app.
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Editor(s)
