How a unified IoMT ecosystem has cracked the medication non-adherence crisis

Whilst the scale of medication non-adherence in the UK is not recently researched, a 2018 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimated that poor adherence results in 200,000 premature deaths in Europe each year. In the US, medication non-adherence is widely reported to account for 50 percent of treatment failures. The financial fallout from medication non-adherence is also huge, equating to approximately $100-300 billion in avoidable US healthcare costs each year through unused medications and excessive healthcare provider visits. 

The challenge to date has been how to harness all patient touchpoints to ensure a connected healthcare experience. And now, digital transformation has finally provided a solution, with a comprehensive Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) ecosystem.

The complexity of fragmented patient care

The fundamental cause of this epidemic is fragmented communication between patients and their healthcare touchpoints and providers. With medical devices and applications operating independently of each other, there’s no connected ecosystem to support sustained patient engagement and promote medication adherence.

Traditional healthcare delivery models create information silos that leave patients detached in their treatment journey, while clinicians lack real-time visibility into a patient’s behaviour and outcomes. Existing medical entities and applications can also operate in isolation, from GPs to hospitals and specialists to medical devices and pharmacies.

Following increasing demand for innovative healthcare solutions that can seamlessly integrate disparate systems while maintaining strict compliance with healthcare regulations, the technology is now available for Government and healthcare leaders to provide a solution to the problem, in unifying healthcare entities to support patient needs.

The solution: A comprehensive and personalised IoMT ecosystem

We can take the example of how a leading multinational technology manufacturer with operations across more than 40 countries developed a comprehensive Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) ecosystem to improve medication management.

This ecosystem was based on three core strategic pillars designed to transform patient care delivery:

• A unified IoMT ecosystem – The foundation of the solution involved creating a unified ecosystem that integrates compliant medical applications with intelligent IoMT devices. This optimises data sharing capabilities while maintaining strict adherence to international healthcare standards, such as HL7 FHIR, HITRUST r2, and HIPAA.
• A patient-centric mobile application – A patient-centric mobile application was designed to allow patients to actively participate in their own healthcare journey. This app allowed patients to log into their medication schedules, share updates with healthcare teams and to track their medication adherence patterns in real-time. The platform features intelligent alert systems with customisable reminder options delivered via a variety of channels – SMS, in-app notifications, and email. For the first time, patients can customise their medication reminders in line with their personal communication preferences.
• Data-driven clinician and pharmaceutical decision-making – Taking healthcare beyond patient engagement, the app offers clinicians authorised access to patient data, which drives more intelligent and informed medical decision-making. Pharmaceutical companies can also benefit from valuable insights while receiving regulated software solutions that comply with stringent requirements for protecting patient information and processing data.

The key benefits for patient-centered digital healthcare

The implementation of a comprehensive IoMT solution can generate improvements across multiple healthcare metrics. Most significantly, patient engagement with the application resulted in medication adherence rates reaching 75 percent. This achievement is down to the platform’s reminder systems, progress tracking capabilities, and patient empowerment features in encouraging consistent medication compliance.

The patient-centric mobile application achieved an impressive 89 percent retention rate, significantly higher than the typical retention rate of healthcare applications. This retention rate suggests that patients derive sustained value from the platform, with potential for long-term changes in healthcare behaviour.

In generating real-time and accurate patient data, clinicians are able to make more informed, data-driven treatment decisions. Healthcare providers can now access comprehensive patient medication patterns, adherence trends, and outcome metrics. This means more personalised treatment plan adjustments and can enable medication reviews and proactive intervention strategies. This visibility into patient behaviours supports more effective care coordination and potentially better health outcomes across patient populations.

Beyond medication management and immediate patient care improvements, the intelligent health platform serves as a valuable tool for harnessing clinical research data, enabling advances in medical treatment and understanding to make future improvements in medication management strategies.

The power of connected healthcare

This successful IoMT implementation highlights that a comprehensive, patient-centric digital health solution can address the issue of medication non-adherence. With a medication adherence rate of 75 percent, the patient-centric app translates to saving lives and elevating the standard of the UK healthcare system.

Through this connected multi-stakeholder approach, all parties in the healthcare journey can benefit from utilising shared data, while maintaining high standards of privacy and security that are essential in the industry. Most critically, budget-strapped healthcare organisations can significantly cut costs such as inappropriate or cancelled appointments and reduce medication wastage.

At last for Government and healthcare leaders, this represents a leap forward in delivering data-driven patient-centered healthcare that benefits healthcare entities and the NHS. For the first time, patients will be empowered with full visibility to actively participate in their healthcare journeys.