Ring Up Your Phone for Your Medications
Ring Up Your Phone for Your Medications
As we get older, we have to take more medications at the same time we have less memory. Fortunately, the miracle of technology has a solution for that in the form of “apps”—applications for smartphones. Apps are available for “medication adherence”—making sure you take the right medication in the right dosage at the right time.
Some are meant for either of the main platforms for smartphones: Apple’s iPhones and Google’s Androids. Best of all, most medical apps are free and can be downloaded from the “App” store on your phone. One that has a small fee ($9.99/year) but works on both platforms is MyMeds, which the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association named a top system for medication adherence.
MyMeds sets pill reminders or refill reminders by text, email or mobile alarm while tracking each dose as “taken” or “skipped.” It creates memory associations about your medications so you don’t forget to take them. Because MyMeds stores medication records on “cloud” storage that is compliant with HIPAA privacy regulations, you can access them from any Internet-enabled device. That means if you enter the information on your desktop computer at home, MyMeds syncs the information with your other devices so you can then access your medication schedule from your phone if you’re not at home. Once you take your medication, the information is then synced back to your home computer (or whichever devices you have). You can also choose to share the information with family, care providers, your doctor and others.
There are two other medication managers that are free and available for iPhones and Androids. MedCoach shares medication history and refill times with your pharmacist and primary provider, and the app presents visual reminders for taking medications. MediSafe synchronizes information to a “family pillbox” and shows a daily medication list that can be checked off throughout the day (from “There’s an app for that,” American Pharmacists Association Pharmacist.com ).
In addition to keeping up with our medications, it can also be difficult to remember all of our healthcare appointments. Several free apps will allow you to keep your schedule on your Internet devices. Well Being Plus has a daily planner that reminds you of all appointments, and you can set reminders for when to take your medicine, exercise and more. Similarly, MedWatcher allows you to follow up on medical treatments and provides support from its online community.
Now all you have to is remember to charge your phone and turn it on!
Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net