A Collaborative Health Adherence Optimization System
Date
2023-12-22
Authors
Lengwe, Maybins Douglas
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Abstract
Non-adherence to prescribed medication negatively impacts healthcare sector and
over 50% of patients fail to adhere to their prescribed medication regimens. The
ramifications of non-compliance are extensive, impacting both healthcare systems
and patients alike. Within healthcare systems, non-adherence has been identified as
a primary factor contributing to approximately half of all hospital admissions related
to medication, incurring annual costs in the billions of dollars. For patients, nonadherence
manifests in heightened risks or severity of ailments, potential relapses, and,
in severe cases, mortality. The underlying causes of non-adherence are diverse, with
unintentional omissions, prominently attributed to forgetfulness, accounting for over
one-third of all instances of non-adherence. A viable remedy often involves leveraging
reminder systems, which have demonstrated relative effectiveness, particularly when
complemented with human support.
This dissertation aims to address the issue of non-adherence resulting from challenges
in integrating prescriptions into the demanding, active lives of patients. The
study delves into ascertaining optimal approaches to support self-management of
prescriptions through the utilization of calendars. The research comprises three studies
assessing the usability of calendars for effective medication management. These
studies encompass; formalizing prescriptions through temporal reasoning frameworks
(Study 1); exploring diverse methods of presenting medication information within
calendars alongside other events (Study 2); and evaluating the calendar prototype to
gauge its efficacy in facilitating medication management (Study 3). Study 1 resulted
in the proposition of Simple Temporal Networks (STP) in formalizing prescriptions.
Insights from Study 2 informed the proposition of design guidelines encompassing aspects
such as (i) employing a familiar design, (ii) facilitating patients’ self-reflection
on medication adherence, (iii) ensuring medications do not clutter the calendar interface,
(iv) empowering users to control the privacy of medication information within
the calendar, and (v) enabling the sharing of medication-only calendars. Study 3
validated the usability of the calendar and its efficacy to support medication management,
personal reflection, and schedule refinements.
The findings from these studies underscore the potential for calendars to be designed
with both expressiveness and efficiency to support medication prescriptions
effectively. Additionally, patients utilizing multiple medications expressed receptiveness
toward adopting calendars as a means of managing their medication regimens.
Description
Keywords
Medication Adherence, Information Visualization, Prescription Calendars, Medication Calendar, Personal Reflection, Adherence, Visualization, Temporal Reasoning Framework, Calendar, Prescription Schedule, Schedule Optimization