What is the Medication Reminders Service Card?
NowPatient services can be accessed using Service Cards that are viewable on the account homepage. Each Service Card has an Options Menu that allows the user to navigate a particular service.
Do I need to pay for the service?
No, this premium feature is available to you for FREE.
What does the Medication Reminders Service do?
The NowPatient Medication Reminders Service is a handy feature that sends automated alerts to remind you when it's time to take your medication.
Who is this service beneficial for?
The NowPatient Medication Reminders Service is particularly useful for individuals who are:
prescribed more than one medication and finding it difficult to remember when to take their medication dose
prescribed medication that has non-standard or complex dosing times
How do I set up the service to get medication reminder alerts?
The Medication Reminders Service can be set after you have registered a NowPatient account.
Navigate to Medication Reminders Service Card which is located in the ‘Medication Coach’ Section of the account homepage & select ‘Add Reminder’.
Lookup your medication by using the search box or adding a freeform non-prescription item.
Confirm if the medication or non-prescription item is for short term use. If so, add the start and end date of the course.
Now add the frequency of doses with the number of units and times.
Finally, set up or designate a ‘Reminder Buddy’ who will receive notifications - such as when a dose is taken, missed or both, based on your preferences.
Can I use the service for non-prescription items like vitamins or medications that don’t show up in the lookup search?
Yes. When you are setting up a new reminder, there is an option to add a free-form name of your non-prescription item.
Can I use the service if I am being treated with a short term acute medication?
Yes. When you add your medication or non-prescription item, you will be prompted to declare if the treatment is time-limited. You can select the start date of your treatment and the end date of your treatment. You can then follow the remaining steps to complete the set-up of the reminders.
How and when will I get my reminder alerts?
Before your scheduled dose, you will receive an In-App or Push notification reminder. If you are using a push notification then you will be presented with two options - ‘Dose Taken’ or ‘Dose Missed’. Select the one that applies to you.
What happens if I miss my dose and who is notified?
If you miss a dose and based on the preferences when you set up the reminder, we will send a notification to your ‘Reminder Buddy’.
Your ‘Reminder Buddy’ will be notified by SMS text and Email.
What should I do if I miss my prescribed medication dose?
Follow the links below to see what you should do if you miss a dose of your medication:
What is the NowPatient Medication Adherence Score?
NowPatient uses a proprietary scoring system that gives you a visual & numerical indication of how well you are at taking your medication as prescribed and on-time.
The nearer you are to 100, means you are taking your medication as prescribed and on-time.
The score is aggregated if you are taking more than one medication and is calculated as the % of doses taken against the total number of doses prescribed.
It is also weighted across the number of medications monitored and the number of days data is collected per medication.
You can also view the score per individual medication or non-prescription item.
Is the score impacted if I have taken my medication at the correct time, but I have ignored the alert reminder?
No. We do not use ‘ignore’ events in the calculation, so this will not affect your score.
Why is the Medication Adherence Score Useful?
The NowPatient Medication Adherence Score is valuable for clinicians for several important reasons:
Improved Treatment Outcomes: It help doctors understand whether you are taking your medication as prescribed, which is essential for the treatment to be effective.
Informed Decision-Making: If a treatment isn’t working, the NowPatient Medication Adherence Score helps determine whether the issue is the medication itself or that you are not taking the prescribed medication properly.
Early Intervention: NowPatient can identify non-adherence early and intervene with education and support. Your doctor could assess the score and potentially change your treatment plan with dosages that are less frequent. For example, by prescribing once-daily long-acting formulations.
Personalized Care: The Adherence Score can help doctors tailor follow-ups and adjust treatments based on your behavior and challenges.
Reduced Healthcare Costs: Improved adherence reduces hospitalizations and complications, ultimately lowering healthcare costs for both you and the wider health system.
Regulatory and Quality Metrics: Adherence data contributes to quality-of-care metrics and can help health systems meet performance targets
In short, the NowPatient Medication Adherence Score can give clinicians critical insight into your behavior outside the clinic, enabling more effective and proactive care.
Where can I view the Medication Adherence Score?
Navigate to the ‘Medication Adherence Graph’ Service Card which is located in the ‘Medication Coach’ Section of the account homepage.
You can use the drop down menu on the Service Card to filter scores by ALL your created reminders or by individual reminders.
Can I track my Medication Adherence progress visually?
Yes. Navigate to the ‘Medication Adherence Graph’ Service Card which is located in the ‘Medication Coach’ Section the account homepage.
Within the card, there is a progress chart which logs the scores over a period of time. This can be very useful to both your clinician and you because it tracks your improvements in medication adherence.
What are the consequences of poor Medication Adherence?
Non-adherence to prescription medications is a major problem, leading to over $100 billion in avoidable hospitalizations and 89,000 premature deaths annually.
Why is the Medication Adherence Score important?
The score is important because it can help your clinician understand your overall health profile and habits. For example, if your adherence score is low, the clinician may want to give you a medication form that can be taken once a day rather than three times a day.
Medication adherence is the key to achieving your therapeutic goals and improving your outcomes. Poor or non-adherence leads to reduced clinical benefit and generates significant waste. Making sure you take your medications correctly and at the right time helps you get the best results from your treatment.