Opportunity 

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Statins lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of myocardial infarction by 30 percent. Still, even among patients who have had a heart attack, nearly half stop taking their statin medications within a year of their initial prescription.   

Intervention 

A team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania leveraged Way to Health to test whether simple nudges such as reminders and feedback reports could facilitate improved medication adherence. 

The team enrolled 126 veterans with coronary artery disease and poor medication adherence in the intervention. All patients received a pill bottle that wirelessly transmitted data about bottle opening and were assigned to one of the groups below.   

1. Control: No reminders or feedback 
2. Individual feedback group: Daily reminders and a weekly medication adherence feedback report 
3. Partner feedback group: Daily reminders and a weekly feedback report that was shared with a friend, family member, or peer.  

The intervention lasted for three months, and participants were followed for another three months afterward. 

Impact 

Daily reminders combined with individual or partner feedback reports improved statin medication adherence. While neither feedback strategy created a sustainable medication adherence habit, the intervention is relatively easy to implement at low cost.