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Accepted for/Published in: Interactive Journal of Medical Research

Date Submitted: Jul 5, 2024
Open Peer Review Period: Jul 15, 2024 - Sep 9, 2024
Date Accepted: Jan 8, 2025
(closed for review but you can still tweet)

The final, peer-reviewed published version of this preprint can be found here:

Correlation Between Objective Habit Metrics and Objective Medication Adherence: Retrospective Study of 15,818 Participants From Clinical Studies

Pironet A, Phillips LA, Vrijens B

Correlation Between Objective Habit Metrics and Objective Medication Adherence: Retrospective Study of 15,818 Participants From Clinical Studies

Interact J Med Res 2025;14:e63987

DOI: 10.2196/63987

PMID: 39914802

PMCID: 11843050

Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.

Objective habit metrics correlate to objective medication adherence: a retrospective study on 15,818 subjects from clinical studies

  • Antoine Pironet; 
  • L Alison Phillips; 
  • Bernard Vrijens

ABSTRACT

Background:

Medication adherence, or how patients take their medication as prescribed, is a global public health issue. Improving medication-taking habit might be an effective way to improve medication adherence. However, habit is difficult to quantify, and conventional habit metrics are self-reported, with recognized limitations. Recently, several objective habit metrics have been proposed, based on objective medication-taking data.

Objective:

Explore the correlation between objective habit metrics and objective medication adherence on a large dataset.

Methods:

The MEMS® Adherence Knowledge Center, a database of anonymized electronic medication adherence data from ambulant subjects enrolled in past clinical studies, was used as the data source. Electronic medication adherence data from subjects following a once-daily regimen and monitored for 14 days or more were extracted. Two objective habit metrics were computed from each subject’s medication intake history: standard deviation of the hour of intake and weekly cross-correlation. Objective medication adherence was computed usin15,818 subjects met the criteria. The two objective habit metrics were associated with the two objective adherence metrics (all p < 0.001). A lower daily or weekly variability in the timing of medication intakes is associated with a better medication adherence. However, no variability is not the norm. Among the numerous factors influencing medication adherence, habit strength is an important one.g the proportion of doses taken and the proportion of correct days.

Results:

15,818 subjects met the criteria. The two objective habit metrics were associated with the two objective adherence metrics (all p < 0.001). A lower daily or weekly variability in the timing of medication intakes is associated with a better medication adherence. However, no variability is not the norm. Among the numerous factors influencing medication adherence, habit strength is an important one.

Conclusions:

Objective habit metrics are correlated to objective medication adherence. Such objective habit metrics can be used to monitor patients and identify those who may benefit from habit-building support. Clinical Trial: Not applicable


 Citation

Please cite as:

Pironet A, Phillips LA, Vrijens B

Correlation Between Objective Habit Metrics and Objective Medication Adherence: Retrospective Study of 15,818 Participants From Clinical Studies

Interact J Med Res 2025;14:e63987

DOI: 10.2196/63987

PMID: 39914802

PMCID: 11843050

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