The Role of a Self-Directed Technology to Improve Medication Adherence in Heart Failure Patients

• We explored the use of a self-directed medical technology to improve medication adherence.
• Technology-based strategies have potential to improve medication adherence

Medication nonadherence contributes to poor outcomes in patients with heart failure. The purpose of this project was to determine whether a self-directed, web-based medical technology, MyMedSchedule.com®, could improve medication adherence. Thirty-three heart failure patients participated in a pre/post-intervention exploratory design. A self-directed technology did not significantly improve medication adherence, z = −1.661, P = .097 (pre-intervention scores, mean = 6.44, SD = 1.38; post-intervention scores, mean = 6.89, SD = 1.09); however, participants expressed comfort (82%), satisfaction (75%), and confidence (75%) using the technology. Other positive outcomes were also identified. Technology-based strategies have the potential to improve adherence and reduce poor outcomes.