JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

While medication is crucial for managing chronic diseases, the rate of adherence remains suboptimal. With the advanced integration of information technology and mobile internet into healthcare, mobile applications present a substantial opportunity for improving adherence by incorporating educational, behavioral, and organizational strategies tailored to individual needs. However, determining the most effective features and functionalities for these applications within the specific healthcare context in Asia remains a challenge.

Objective:

This study aimed to review the existing literature, focusing on Asian countries, to identify the optimal features of mobile applications that can effectively enhance medication adherence within the unique context of Asian societies.

Methods:

We conducted a narrative review following the principles of the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles. Searches were performed on PubMed and Scopus to identify studies on the use of mobile applications for medication adherence, focusing on the timeframe from 2019 to May 2024. The key search terms included “Asia,” “medical adherence,” “medication adherence,” “app,” and “application,” combined using logical operators “OR” and “AND.” The features of mobile applications identified in the studies were evaluated and compared using a modified mobile application rating scale. We summarized and compared the applications based on their disease focuses, developers, target users, and features.

Results:

The study identified thirteen mobile applications designed to enhance medication adherence. Of these, ten were developed by research teams, while three were created by commercial companies or hospitals. All the applications incorporated multiple features to support adherence, with reminders being the most common, present in eleven apps. Patient community forums were the least common, appearing in only one application. Six applications provided lifestyle modification functions, offering dietary and exercise recommendations, generating individualized plans, and monitoring progress. Additionally, 6 applications featured health data recording and monitoring functions, with 4 allowing users to export and share records with researchers or healthcare professionals. Many applications included communication features, with 10 enabling feedback from researchers or healthcare professionals and 6 offering online consultation services. Educational content was available in 7 applications, and 7 used motivation strategies to encourage adherence.

Conclusions:

This review has identified key components integrated into mobile applications to support medication adherence. However, the lack of government and corporate involvement in their development limits the generalizability of any individual application. Beyond basic reminder functions, features such as multi-user support, feedback mechanisms, online consultations, motivational tools, and socialization features hold significant promise for improving medication adherence. Further pragmatic research is necessary to validate the effectiveness of these selected applications in enhancing adherence.