Smartphone App-assisted Discontinuation of Short-term PPI Treatment - an Feasibility Study
Smartphone App-assisted Discontinuation of Short-term PPI Treatment - an Feasibility Study
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are frequently prescribed for 30 days but taken infinitely. PPIs belong to the most often inappropriate medicines (PIMs). Correct intake of medicines (named adherence) can be supported by digital devices such as smartphone applications. The goal of this interventional study is to test the feasibility of an app-based treatment support provided by community pharmacists in patients prescribed a short-term PPI (30 days). The intervention consists in tracking medication intake, symptom course and well-being over the treatment duration of 30 days with the mednet app on patients' personal smartphones.
This is an exploratory study in a primary care setting with community pharmacists recruiting patients who are newly prescribed a PPI for a short-term treatment (30 days). There is no control group and no randomization. After informed consent and installing the app on their personal smartphones, patients will answer three questions from the app once daily. The questions address medication intake (yes/no), symptom course (better, worse, identical, no symptoms) and well-being (satisfactory/needs improvement). Worsening of symptoms will trigger an alarm (via email) at the pharmacy. The pharmacist will call the patients and use information from adherence and well-being to consolidate a supporting counseling.
Feasibility and a frequency estimation of the interventions will be the focus of the study in view of a larger implementation study with community pharmacies. Further implementation outcomes will be assessed through interviews and surveys (satisfaction, interprofessional work).
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria: