A Behavioral Economics-Based Telehealth Intervention to Improve Post-MI Medication Adherence

NCT ID: NCT03022266

Last Updated: 2019-05-09

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

130 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2017-02-01

Study Completion Date

2018-11-14

Brief Summary

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The proposed study is a pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT). Participants in the intervention arm will participate in a 90-day adherence promotion program based on the theory of behavioral economics and administered through the Wellth mobile phone application. Subjects will be provided a CleverCap® Lite BLE C035 smart pill bottle (electronic monitoring (EM), device) containing a 90-day supply of aspirin (90 pills) and those in the intervention arm will be offered $150 for app-based medication check-ins, which consist of uploading daily photos of pills at the time of administration through the Wellth app. Subjects will have $2 deducted from total rewards for each day that a medication check-in is missed. Subjects in the control arm will receive usual care and be monitored with the same EM device types used in the intervention arm.

Detailed Description

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Medication adherence is a quantifiable parameter detailing when and how consistently doses are taken. Elements of medication adherence include: 1) the proportion of prescribed drug taken or %PDT (primary outcome); 2) the proportion of days with the correct number of doses taken; 3) the proportion of doses taken on time, in relation to a prescription-defined time interval between successive doses; 4) the distribution of inter-dose intervals; 5) the number of drug holidays; and 6) the longest interval between two doses \[Vrijens et al. British journal of clinical pharmacology. 2012;73(5):691-705\]. Medication adherence will be assessed in all participants using EM technology manufactured by CleverCaps®. Electronic Monitoring (EM) is more sensitive, reliable and valid than other measurement techniques such as pill counts, self-reports, or clinical judgment \[Vrijens et al. Expert review of clinical pharmacology. 2014;7(5):633-644\]. In this study the investigators will monitor a single drug, aspirin, in MI patients prescribed aspirin on hospital discharge.

In addition to measurement of medication adherence using an EM device, the investigators will measure adherence using the Wellth cell phone app in the intervention arm. Participants in the intervention arm will also be asked to track their medication-taking habits by uploading photos of their medications at the appropriate dosage times using the Wellth app.

Readmissions will be measured using the EMR and by interview to capture events outside the Penn system. Events will be classified according to timing (e.g. 30-day readmission) and cause (e.g. cardiac, all-cause). This study is not designed to detect a statistically significant difference in readmissions.

Conditions

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Myocardial Infarction, Acute Myocardial Infarction

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

OTHER

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Investigators

Study Groups

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Intervention Arm

Participants receiving the Financial Incentive and Mobile Phone App will be given an smartphone app offering pill reminders and $50/month financial incentives for three months to upload photos of medication each day for 90 days. Medication adherence will be measured via a CleverCap(R) electronic monitoring pillbox.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Financial Incentive and Mobile Phone App

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Subjects receiving the Financial Incentive and Mobile Phone App will each participate in a 90-day adherence promotion program. When users first log in to the app, the screen will display an incentive of $150 that participants have earned by enrolling in the program. Participants will be told that each missed medication check-in will result in a $2 deduction from the account before it is paid out. Each $50 portion (minus any penalties) of the $150 incentive will be paid out in 30-day installments by remotely crediting a previously distributed debit card. Adherence will be measured simultaneously by app photos and CleverCap(R) electronic monitoring (EM) devices filled with a 90-day supply of aspirin. Claims data will be analyzed for a 90 day period to account for any hospital admissions.

Usual Care Control Arm

Participants in the usual care control arm will receive the usual education about medications provided by hospital staff. Medication adherence will be measured via a CleverCap(R) electronic monitoring pillbox.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Financial Incentive and Mobile Phone App

Subjects receiving the Financial Incentive and Mobile Phone App will each participate in a 90-day adherence promotion program. When users first log in to the app, the screen will display an incentive of $150 that participants have earned by enrolling in the program. Participants will be told that each missed medication check-in will result in a $2 deduction from the account before it is paid out. Each $50 portion (minus any penalties) of the $150 incentive will be paid out in 30-day installments by remotely crediting a previously distributed debit card. Adherence will be measured simultaneously by app photos and CleverCap(R) electronic monitoring (EM) devices filled with a 90-day supply of aspirin. Claims data will be analyzed for a 90 day period to account for any hospital admissions.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

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Smartphone App Wellth App Adherence Mobile Phone App

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Over 21 years of age
* Admitted to one of the University of Pennsylvania hospitals for acute myocardial infarction (ICD-10 codes I21.xx) or unstable angina (ICD 10 codes I20.xxx)
* Prescribed once-per-day aspirin at discharge
* The patient administers his or her own medications
* Own a smartphone with a sufficient data plan or home Wi-Fi to enable app use and avoid overage charges
* Able to speak and understand English

Exclusion Criteria

* Diagnosis of MI following non-cardiac admission
* Discharge to any facility other than the patient's home
* Cognitive impairment that limits ability to understand and complete questionnaires
* Inability to operate a mobile phone and the Wellth app
* Physician-estimated life expectancy less than 6 months
Minimum Eligible Age

21 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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University of Pennsylvania

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Wellth Inc.

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Barbara J Riegel, PhD, RN

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Pennsylvania

Locations

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University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Ho PM, Bryson CL, Rumsfeld JS. Medication adherence: its importance in cardiovascular outcomes. Circulation. 2009 Jun 16;119(23):3028-35. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.768986.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19528344 (View on PubMed)

Zhang Y, Kaplan CM, Baik SH, Chang CC, Lave JR. Medication adherence and readmission after myocardial infarction in the Medicare population. Am J Manag Care. 2014;20(11):e498-505.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25651604 (View on PubMed)

Mozaffarian D, Benjamin EJ, Go AS, Arnett DK, Blaha MJ, Cushman M, de Ferranti S, Despres JP, Fullerton HJ, Howard VJ, Huffman MD, Judd SE, Kissela BM, Lackland DT, Lichtman JH, Lisabeth LD, Liu S, Mackey RH, Matchar DB, McGuire DK, Mohler ER 3rd, Moy CS, Muntner P, Mussolino ME, Nasir K, Neumar RW, Nichol G, Palaniappan L, Pandey DK, Reeves MJ, Rodriguez CJ, Sorlie PD, Stein J, Towfighi A, Turan TN, Virani SS, Willey JZ, Woo D, Yeh RW, Turner MB; American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics--2015 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2015 Jan 27;131(4):e29-322. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000152. Epub 2014 Dec 17. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25520374 (View on PubMed)

Choudhry NK, Avorn J, Glynn RJ, Antman EM, Schneeweiss S, Toscano M, Reisman L, Fernandes J, Spettell C, Lee JL, Levin R, Brennan T, Shrank WH; Post-Myocardial Infarction Free Rx Event and Economic Evaluation (MI FREEE) Trial. Full coverage for preventive medications after myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med. 2011 Dec 1;365(22):2088-97. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsa1107913. Epub 2011 Nov 14.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22080794 (View on PubMed)

Jackevicius CA, Li P, Tu JV. Prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of primary nonadherence after acute myocardial infarction. Circulation. 2008 Feb 26;117(8):1028-36. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.706820.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18299512 (View on PubMed)

Ho PM, Spertus JA, Masoudi FA, Reid KJ, Peterson ED, Magid DJ, Krumholz HM, Rumsfeld JS. Impact of medication therapy discontinuation on mortality after myocardial infarction. Arch Intern Med. 2006 Sep 25;166(17):1842-7. doi: 10.1001/archinte.166.17.1842.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17000940 (View on PubMed)

Choudhry NK, Avorn J, Antman EM, Schneeweiss S, Shrank WH. Should patients receive secondary prevention medications for free after a myocardial infarction? An economic analysis. Health Aff (Millwood). 2007 Jan-Feb;26(1):186-94. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.26.1.186.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17211028 (View on PubMed)

Granger BB, Bosworth HB. Medication adherence: emerging use of technology. Curr Opin Cardiol. 2011 Jul;26(4):279-87. doi: 10.1097/HCO.0b013e328347c150.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21597368 (View on PubMed)

Volpp KG, Loewenstein G, Troxel AB, Doshi J, Price M, Laskin M, Kimmel SE. A test of financial incentives to improve warfarin adherence. BMC Health Serv Res. 2008 Dec 23;8:272. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-8-272.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19102784 (View on PubMed)

Kimmel SE, Troxel AB, Loewenstein G, Brensinger CM, Jaskowiak J, Doshi JA, Laskin M, Volpp K. Randomized trial of lottery-based incentives to improve warfarin adherence. Am Heart J. 2012 Aug;164(2):268-74. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2012.05.005.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22877814 (View on PubMed)

Chaudhry SI, Mattera JA, Curtis JP, Spertus JA, Herrin J, Lin Z, Phillips CO, Hodshon BV, Cooper LS, Krumholz HM. Telemonitoring in patients with heart failure. N Engl J Med. 2010 Dec 9;363(24):2301-9. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1010029. Epub 2010 Nov 16.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21080835 (View on PubMed)

Riegel B, Jaarsma T, Stromberg A. A middle-range theory of self-care of chronic illness. ANS Adv Nurs Sci. 2012 Jul-Sep;35(3):194-204. doi: 10.1097/ANS.0b013e318261b1ba.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22739426 (View on PubMed)

Galloway GP, Coyle JR, Guillen JE, Flower K, Mendelson JE. A simple, novel method for assessing medication adherence: capsule photographs taken with cellular telephones. J Addict Med. 2011 Sep;5(3):170-4. doi: 10.1097/ADM.0b013e3181fcb5fd.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21844832 (View on PubMed)

Patel MS, Asch DA, Volpp KG. Framing Financial Incentives to Increase Physical Activity Among Overweight and Obese Adults. Ann Intern Med. 2016 Oct 18;165(8):600. doi: 10.7326/L16-0280. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27750316 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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W000001

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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