Table 1.
Randomized controlled trials measuring percent adherence in reminder and control groups
| Study | Control | n (total) | Adherence (control group; %) | Reminder | Reminder description | n (total) | Adherence (test group; %) | P-value | monitoring | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armstrong48 | No reminder | 35 | 30.00 | Phone text reminder | A daily text message containing the day’s weather and a reminder to apply sunscreen (“Tues. Sunny. High 71, Low 61. Slap on some sunscreen today.”) | 35 | 56.10 | Sunscreen | 0.001 | Electronic monitoring device |
| Standbygaard44 | No reminder | 12 | 77.15 | Phone text reminder | Daily short message service (SMS) text reminder at 10 am for 8 weeks telling participants to take their asthma medication | 10 | 79.70 | Discos Seretide (Inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta-agonist) | 0.019 | Dose count on inhaler disc |
| Okeke49 | No reminder | 31 | 48.50 | Phone call reminder | Reminder telephone calls from the coordinator once per week for one month then every other week, which included administration of a questionnaire about drop-taking behavior, difficulty with drops side effects, and opportunities for participant questions | 35 | 67.75 | Prostaglandin eye drops | 0.01 | Dosing Aid recording device |
| Christensen50 | No reminder | 179 | 86.75 | Programmed electronic audiovisual reminder | The device is operated with tablet blister cards and was customized to fit the blister cards of the study medication. The device gives the patient an audiovisual reminder when it is time to take the medication | 219 | 88.45 | Telmisartan | 0.072 | Self reported compliance |
| Cococila47 | No reminder | 48 | 18.60 | Phone text reminder | 3 types of daily message were sent. Basic message ending in a question mark (“Hi, its Tim: any Vitamin C 2 day?”); reinforcing message to those who replied as expected including encouraging statements with brief jokes and ending with a smiley (“Tim here again: Ur doing super! Tip: 2 steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; 2 steal from many is research!:)”); and correcting message to those who did not acknowledge the basic reminders (with non-amusing feedback with the importance of taking the vitamin (“Again Tim: do your best to take the vitamins: they help fight cold and flu!”) | 51 | 64.30 | Vitamin C | 0.001 | Self reported compliance |
| Fulmer51 | No reminder | 18 | 69.00 | Phone call reminder | 15 | 75.00 | Ace-inhibitors, calcium channel-blockers (CCB), beta-blockers | <0.05 | Medication event monitoring system (MEMS) caps | |
| Videotelephone call reminder | A daily videotelephone telephone call lasting 3–5 minutes consisting of a brief greeting and a question asking whether participants had traken their medications the previous day | 17 | 83.00 | <0.05 | ||||||
| Safren41 | Medications monitoring only | 19 | 55.00 | Pager text reminder | Daily text message included dose reminders including drug name, number of pills, and specific decriptions (eg: “take 2 Combivir with water” or “take the 2 blue pills now”) | 25 | 63.00 | HAART | 0.03 | Self reported compliance |
| Bender45 | No reminder | 25 | 49.10 | Interactive voice response system reminder | 2 programmed calls separated by one month including an explanation of how the call worked, followed by 3 questions asking whether the participant had experienced asthma symptoms in the past week: if their anwer was affirmative participants were told that controller medications should help prevent these symptoms; they were also asked wether they were filling and using their medications | 25 | 64.50 | Fluticasone/sal merterol (inhaler) | 0.0032 | Electronic tracking device |
| Andrade42 | Monthly adherence counseling, no reminders | 29 | 65.00 | Programmed electronic voice reminder device | Disease Management Assistance System (DMAS), a battery powered electronic device that produces a timed, programmed voice message prompting subjects to take their antiretrovitrals | 29 | 80.00 | Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) | 0.25 | Electronic drug exposure monitor (eDEM) caps |
| Simoni43 | No intervention | 57 | 43.75 | Pager text reminder | A minimum of 3 daily text messages included dose reminders, educational messages about the disease and treatment, entertainment and adherence assesments | 56 | 44.75 | HAART | >0.5 | Self reported compliance |
| Yentzer46 | No reminder | 12 | 59.00 | Phone call reminder | 8 | 48.00 | adapalene | >0.5 | MEMS cap | |
| Parental reminder | 14 | 36.00 | >0.5 | |||||||
| Frequent office visits | 12 | 82.00 | <0.5 | |||||||
| Average adherence | 54.71 | 66.61 | ||||||||
| Standard deviation | 19.91 | 15.93 |