Medication tracker apps development: types, benefits, and features

The research results are disappointing — medication nonadherence leads to approximately 125,000 deaths annually and increases the number of hospitalizations by 10%. Fortunately, the majority of patients today are no longer relying on their memory but entrusting such an important mission to mobile medication trackers. The pandemic has also affected the general mood encouraging patients to use more digital technology ( medical mobile apps in particular) to manage their health.

What is medication tracking software?

App to remind you to take medication

Simply put, medication tracking apps are designed to improve medication adherence. The main function of the application is medication intake scheduling as medicines cannot work properly if they are not taken on time. Here are some of the cases where pill reminders have proven to be helpful:

• Avoiding unwanted pregnancy. Birth control pills are 99% effective only when taken on time. The ideal application usage means that a woman should take tablets every day at the same time.
• Adhering to medication for chronic diseases. According to the NCBI study on inadvertent drug omissions, more than 60% of chronic patients fail to take their pills on time. It is a recognized public health problem.
• Improving parental or caregiver adherence to medication. Keeping track of someone else’s medication is harder than managing your own treatment.

Types of medication reminders

Types of medication management apps

Simple medication reminders. Such apps have only basic functionality, such as customizable notifications and flexible scheduling.

Advanced medication reminders. Besides functionality embedded in simple reminders, advanced reminders have medication photos, dosage tracking, user or doctor motes, integration with other systems, and much more.

Medication management applications. These systems incorporate features of simple and advanced medication tracking apps (for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets). Also, such apps allow the users to create multiple accounts (e.g. for all family members), manage and store data about their health conditions, and share this data with medical staff.

Benefits of a medication tracking mobile app

Medication tracking software has a number of benefits for all stakeholders – doctors, hospital management, patients and their families, and the community at large. Below are the top benefits.

Confidence

Such an application is designed to provide confidence and peace of mind to its end-users. Patients no longer need to wonder which medications were taken and when the next dose is required. They feel like having a personal pharmacist in their pocket, with all information about any medication.

Convenience

With a drug tracking app, the user is always aware of what medications they are taking.

Proper dosing

Such apps always know how much medicine and how often it is needed to be taken so that patients comply with their treatment regime. This benefit is especially important for patients who have to adhere to a more complex medication schedule.

Notice about contraindications

Medication trackers can offer recommendations on what medications are incompatible for those patients that worry about mixing various pills (even if it is over-the-counter drugs with dietary supplements). In case of an unintended drug combination, apps notify the user about the risks.

Key features of medication trackers

The major features of apps to keep track of taking pills

Notifications

Notifications appear on the smartphone screen when it is time to take a medicine. These alerts (visual and sound) keep popping up until the patient marks that the medicine is taken. Some trackers, however, allow the user to put off medication intake. This function is most vital for patients with hearing and vision disorders.

Intuitive user interface

With intuitive interfaces, users can seamlessly navigate applications and easily enter and then find medicine names, descriptions, dosages, and timetables.

Data sharing

This feature allows interacting with medical staff and sharing necessary information (all data manipulations must comply with official rules). Some trackers enable users to share medical data with caregivers.

Image recognition

Image recognition for medication tracker mobile app

Medication trackers use Artificial Intelligence to search for pills in their databases. All that is needed is to take a picture of the medicine. Apps will identify unknown pills and show instructions for usage and possible contraindications.

Refill reminders

People not only mistaking pills but they also forget to refill the supplies when they run out of necessary medications. The refill reminder tracks medication amounts and alerts when it is high time to visit the pharmacy.

Synchronization across various devices and apps

Synchronization allows receiving notifications from the reminder at the same time on wearable devices, for example, a smart watch or a fitness bracelet. Among other features are integration with various custom medical software and other apps, for example, a real-time chat with doctors, search for the nearest pharmacies on the map, e-payments, and more.

Conclusion

Pill reminders are usually a one-time purchase and cost less than monthly spendings on a coffee to go. Statistics show that on average every second American takes one or more prescribed medicines every month. This means that there are about 160 millions of potential medication tracking app users in only one country. Given that fact the idea of medication reminder app development is definitely worth considering. We are at your service to translate any idea into an advanced solution. All you need is just send us a request.