The use of electronic pill bottles, financial incentives and social support did not improve medication adherence or readmission outcomes for acute myocardial infarction survivors, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The research team — led by Kevin G. Volpp, MD, PhD, a researcher at Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania — recruited 1,509 hospital inpatients who were discharged with a principal diagnosis of AMI and prescribed at least 2 medications.
The participants were randomized into one of two groups: one which received usual care, and one which used electronic pill bottles, financial incentives and social support to deliver medication reminders or encourage medication adherence. The researchers then measured patients' readmission outcomes.
Researchers found no significant differences between the two groups in terms of time to death, time to first readmission for a vascular event or total number of readmissions. They also found no differences between average medication adherence or average medical costs between the two groups.
"A compound intervention integrating wireless pill bottles, lottery-based incentives and social support did not significantly improve medication adherence or vascular readmission outcomes for AMI survivors," the researchers concluded.