This app makes a tremendous leap in logic that stroke patients have smart phones and are able to use them. One picture of a fake patient using one hand to hold the phone for taking a video of taking medicine would be impossible for a lot of stroke survivors. My parents wouldn't even understand anything about using a smart phone. 11 years later and there is no way I could even get a smart phone in my left hand. Do these people not do real life usability testing? Like testing with real stroke survivors? Give something like this to me and I would not do it because just by suggesting it you are telling me I'm stupid.
iMedicalApps: AI App Helps Stroke Patients
AiCure shows promise with medication adherence
Adherence to medications is a major factor in determining patient outcomes. Stroke patients on direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are perfect examples of this adherence issue. Regular adherence to their DOACs is essential to prevent the risk of stroke and bleeding. Previously, we have looked into other creative solutions to improve adherence, including ingestible sensors. This time, we are looking at the concept of directly observed therapy that no longer relies on healthcare professionals reviewing patient videos, but has built-in artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
In a 12-week, randomized, parallel-group study, researchers tested the effect of an AI-enabled app, AiCure, on medication adherence in 28 ischemic stroke patients (20 patients were on DOACs including dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban; 8 were on warfarin). AiCure provides patients with reminders and dosing information and can carry out directly observed therapy through HIPAA-compliant facial recognition, automatic medication identification, and real-time medication ingestion confirmation using a smartphone.
Through visual confirmation, AiCure measured overall adherence in the AI group to be 90.5% (SD 7.5%); standard plasma drug concentration tests indicated 100% adherence in the AiCure group, compared with 50% in the control group. Results from a sub-analysis of the DOACs patients only were similar. Mean cumulative adherence based on visual confirmation was 90.1% (SD 7.3%). Standard plasma drug concentration tests showed 100% versus 33% adherence from the AiCure and control groups, respectively.
Interestingly, the difference in cumulative adherence between the AiCure and control groups based on pill count was not as drastic as the difference observed with plasma drug concentration tests for both the entire study group and the DOACs only group (all patients: 97.2% versus 90.6%; DOACs only: 96.4% versus 90.9% for the AiCure and control groups, respectively). This reflects the importance of confirming adherence at the point of administration when regular blood tests are not feasible from both convenience and financial perspectives.
While this study provides valuable information related to ischemic stroke patients, its findings can be extended to other conditions that require high adherence to medication. In fact, the value of AiCure has been tested in a number of therapeutic areas including schizophrenia, and it has been identified as a potential tool in minimizing nonadherence in clinical trials. However, the evidence for AiCure so far seems to come from small-scale studies, and studies with larger sample sizes are warranted. Overall, it seems like a good solution for patients who want to stay well but need a little nudging.
This article originally appeared on iMedicalApps.com.
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