Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29546659›Full record

Trial reportJournal of general internal medicine2018

Partners and Alerts in Medication Adherence: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Judd B Kessler, Andrea B Troxel, David A Asch, Shivan J Mehta, Noora Marcus, Raymond Lim, Jingsan Zhu, William Shrank, Troyen Brennan, Kevin G Volpp

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of general internal medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01890018 (Partners and Alerts), which is not on this map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT01890018 nacompletednot on this map

Partners and Alerts: A Study of Social Forces in Medication Adherence

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of PennsylvaniaRan2013 to 2017Enrolled178ConditionsAcute Myocardial Infarction (AMI)ArmsElectronic Pill Bottle tracking, Adherence Messaging, Social Influence
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  9. How AI-Based Digital Rehabilitation Improves End-User Adherence: Rapid Review.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies · 2025
    Review
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  13. Study design of BETTER-BP: Behavioral economics trial to enhance regulation of blood pressure.International journal of cardiology. Cardiovascular risk and prevention · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Judd B KesslerWharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. judd.kessler@wharton.upenn.edu.
Andrea B TroxelDivision of Biostatistics, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
David A AschWharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Shivan J MehtaPenn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Noora MarcusMedical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Raymond LimMedical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Jingsan ZhuMedical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
William ShrankUPMC Health Plan, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Troyen BrennanCVS Health Corporation, Woonsocket, RI, USA.
Kevin G VolppWharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Funding

The Penn Roybal Center on Behavioral Economics and Health: Solving for Scale and Impact with Design Thinking, Digital Platforms, and Dynamic AdaptationP30AG034546 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI Alison Meredith Buttenheim · 2009 to 2026
$10.6M
NIA NIH HHS P30 AG034546
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPoor medication adherence is common and limits the effectiveness of treatment.

objectiveTo investigate how social supports, automated alerts, and their combination improve medication adherence.

designFour-arm, randomized clinical trial with a 6-month intervention.

participantsA total of 179 CVS health employees or adult dependents with CVS Caremark prescription coverage, a current daily statin prescription, a medication possession ratio less than 80%, and Internet access.

interventionsParticipants were randomly assigned to control, social support (partner), automated adherence alert messages (alert), or both social support and alerts (partner + alert). Participants in the social support arms were asked to name a medication adherence partner (MAP) to help them take their medication. Participants in the alert arms were sent emails, text messages, or automated phone calls if they had failed to adhere on the previous day and on one or both of the 2 days before that. In partner + alert, both participants and fully enrolled MAPs received alerts. MAIN MEASURES: Adherence measured by wireless pill bottle opening. KEY

resultsCompared to 36.0% adherence in control, adherence was significantly greater in the alert arm (52.9%, difference vs. control of 17.0%, 95% CI for difference 6.3 to 27.6%, P = 0.002) and the partner + alert arm (54.5%, difference vs. control of 18.6%, 95% CI for difference 6.6 to 30.5%, P = 0.003). Adherence in the partner arm was not statistically significantly greater than control (43.2%, difference vs. control of 7.2%, 95% CI of difference - 5.2% to 19.5%, P = 0.25). There were no statistically significant differences among the three treatment arms. Fewer participants invited a MAP in the partner + alert arm than the partner arm (P = 0.02).

conclusionsAutomated alerts were effective at improving medication adherence. Assigning a medication adherence partner did not statistically significantly affect adherence rates.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Number NCT01890018 [ https://clinicaltrials.gov /].

Indexed as

Drug MonitoringDyslipidemiasMedication AdherenceSocial SupportFemaleHumansHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsInterpersonal RelationsMaleMiddle AgedOutcome Assessment, Health CareReminder SystemsSocioeconomic FactorsText MessagingHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitorsmedication adherencemedication alertssupport partner

Identifiers

PMID29546659
PMCPMC6109000

What OpenQuestion holds

Texttitle and abstract
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.