New York, NY—Study results published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke reveal that using AiCure’s AI-powered mobile app doubled anticoagulant adherence rates for stroke survivors. According to their website, this was the first randomized controlled trial to compare the adherence rates of all 3 direct oral anticoagulants: Eliquis, Pradaxa, and Xarelto. Across all three regimen, use of the mobile app had dramatic effects on compliance, even when confirmed by blood work.
So How Does an App Do That?
While participants in the control arm of the study simply proceeded “as usual” with their prescriptions, members of the active arm received reminders, precise dosing instructions, and proactive follow-up when non-adherence was detected through the mobile app. According to the study’s lead author, Daniel Labovitz, M.D.,
In the absence of routine laboratory monitoring, artificial intelligence has the potential to automate a critical component of care — adherence monitoring — and provide continuity of care between visits to ensure patients persist with their therapy and get full therapeutic benefit.”
The Results…
At the end of the 12-week study, participants who used the AI-driven app had a mean cumulative adherence of 90.5%. Additionally, plasma drug concentrations revealed that all members of the AI group sustained levels consistent with getting “full therapeutic benefit.” In the control group, the same blood work revealed that only half of the group taking medicine the old-fashioned way maintained FTB. According to Laura Shafner, AiCure’s Chief Strategy Officer and a coauthor of the study,
Many patients are unable to self-manage and are at increased risk of stroke and bleeding…The use of technology and artificial intelligence has the potential to significantly improve health outcomes and reduce costs in clinical care.”
Why This Matters—
Our team has kept an eye on the evolving role of artificial intelligence for years, but in 2017 we’re seeing more and more exciting applications of AI throughout healthcare. Platforms like AiCure hold particular promise in that they merge AI with accessible mobile technologies to augment human performance. According to their site, AiCure’s app has the potential to impact two key challenges in pharma: 30% of clinical trials fail and millions of high-risk patients are hospitalized each year due to poor medication adherence and 90% of patient behavior remains unknown in outpatient settings. Using AI to both track and positively influence clinical trial patients in real time may point to a bright future for drug development.
