A study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, examined the effect of a multifaceted intervention on vascular rehospitalization and medication adherence among patients who survived a heart attack.
The intervention involved the use of wireless technology to provide medication reminders as well as behavioral economic approaches.
The study, conducted from 2013 through 2016, includes 1,509 participants who had survived a heart attack. The participants, aged 18 to 80 years, were eligible if currently prescribed at least two of four study medications and were hospital inpatients for one to 180 days.
Researchers divided 1,003 patients into an intervention group and 506 patients into the control group who received usual care.
The study showed no statistically significant differences between the intervention and study groups in:
● Time to first rehospitalization for a vascular event or death
● Time to first all-cause rehospitalization
● Total number of repeated hospitalizations
Additionally, mean medication adherence and medical costs in 12 months did not differ greatly between the two groups.
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