Most older Australians take medication every day to manage their health and improve their quality of life. However, remembering to take medications on time can be a challenge. The World Health Organisation states that adherence to chronic medications is only ~50 per cent1, which means medications are only taken correctly 50 per cent of the time.
There are many factors that can contribute to non-adherence including confusion on when to take the medication, with or without food, and how long to continue the therapy. Some may have anxiety on taking too many medications, especially with the potential side effects relating to some medications. Some patients may simply forget or not fully understand the importance of their medication for managing their health condition.
MedAdvisor was developed in 2012 from a genuine need of co-founder, Josh Swinnerton, as he watched his mum struggle with managing the medication prescribed to treat her arthritis and Parkinson’s disease. Keeping track of 10 medications was very difficult given their complicated dosing regimens and different administration methods. It was also inconvenient for her to visit and wait at the pharmacy multiple times a month given her limited mobility. There had to be an easier way for his mum not only take her medications correctly but also be able to reorder her scripts conveniently from the pharmacy.
More than ten years later, the free MedAdvisor App connects over two million Australians to their local pharmacy to provide them with an automatic list of their medications. Smart reminders notify a patient when it’s time to take their medications, when it’s time to fill recurring scripts and when to see the doctor for a new script. The convenient ordering function allows patients to skip the queue at the pharmacy or request for their medication to be delivered.
If an older person is being cared for by another family member or guardian, MedAdvisor has a feature called Carer Mode which allows multiple family members to be managed under one account. The carer can manage and order scripts on behalf of the patient from near or far, providing peace of mind for carers and for those managing their own medications, allowing the whole family to stay healthy and in control with a pharmacy at their fingertips.
As a result of using the app, MedAdvisor has shown to improve medication adherence by up to 20 per cent, which allows more patients to achieve better health outcomes from their prescribed treatments.
Source: 1. World Health Organization. Adherence to long-term therapies: evidence for action. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/42682/9241545992.pdf. Accessed 11/2/22.
To learn more about how MedAdvisor can improve, and support patients stay in control of their medication management, visit here: https://hubs.ly/Q01BWDsk0
