When is it time for my medication? Where can I get tested? What doctor’s appointments are coming up? The Life4me+ app supports STI sufferers in their everyday lives – free of charge and anonymously.
The last few decades can be described as the years of the digital boom. This is noticeable in almost all areas, including science, industry, transport and medicine. Who would have thought twenty years ago that we could pay bills with just one click, buy tickets online or make doctor’s appointments? The growing importance of new digital technologies can also be observed in healthcare. They improve patients’ quality of life, in part by enhancing the quality of medical care and measuring its outcomes.
Electronic systems can also be used effectively in sexually transmitted infection (STI) care. With their help, information acquisition and communication can be simplified as well as
- Improve patient compliance, e.g., with antiretroviral therapy for HIV and hepatitis C;
- Build greater awareness among people about STIs and sexual health;
- increase the quality of medical care, as the electronic system opens an additional and convenient channel for communication between doctors and patients;
- gain epidemiological data.
What do apps do in STI care?
Mobile apps are currently the application with the strongest growth rates. They can be divided into three categories with regard to STI:
- Informative apps: They provide general information about STI.
- Preventive apps: They explain and motivate people how to protect themselves from STIs and where to get tested for STIs.
- Supporting apps: They accompany the treatment and support the monitoring of patient data.
There are many mobile apps for the first two categories. Anyone interested can choose the one that best fits their own criteria. However, with regard to the third type, there is very little choice.
One option is the Life4me+ app. It is the only system that is available free of charge worldwide. Although it focuses on 3rd category services, it also includes modules from categories 1 and 2: the information block included in the app provides general information on STIs, especially HIV infection, regular news on prevention and treatment of HIV, of hepatitis C and tuberculosis, and information on PrEP.
How Life4me+ works
The app offers numerous practical aids. For example, it automatically reminds its users to take the STI test every four months. It allows patients to anonymously find a doctor and connect with them through the app. This allows treatment adherence to be optimized. This is because the app makes it possible to confidentially share test results and other information about prescriptions. It also provides a map showing addresses of nearby clinics, laboratories, support groups or peer consultants.
The app emerged directly from the community of people living with HIV themselves and with the active participation of physicians. It is constantly being developed together. It can be obtained in 156 countries via the AppStore or Google Play. To date, the app has been downloaded more than 13,000 times in 60 countries.
In addition, the app has a unique system of reminders regarding the time of taking medications: Users can define for themselves the time interval at which the alarm should be triggered. Such reminders can be customized and can be used discreetly and quasi-camouflaged. For example, reminder texts can read “call mom” or “send letter” instead of “take medication.” In this way, users can protect themselves from questions from their environment and possible stigmatization. Users can respond to the reminder with “Yes” (tablets taken) or “No” (no tablets taken) (figure ). By helping patients take their medication, Life4me+ also promotes adherence.
Therapy fidelity: added value of mobile apps
Recent research confirms that mobile apps increase treatment adherence among people with chronic diseases such as HIV. Experts estimate this growth at 30-35% [1]. The challenge is to use mobile systems in a continuous mode.
Life4me+ developers analyzed app usage data from 100 anonymous users. The frequency of taking the drugs was compared after one and after three months. The improvement in compliance in the third month was 54.8% by calculation. Not all users were already familiar with mobile apps or the system of reminders at the beginning of the study. This is probably one reason for the massive improvement in the first three months. In addition, study participants answered the question, “Do you think your adherence to treatment improves with the app?” With an overall participation of 73%, 32% of users answered this question positively.
From the results of the data collection and the survey linked to it, it can be concluded that the Life4me+ mobile app helps users to take their medication on time.
Literature:
- Gee P, Egger G: Impact of mHealth Chronic Disease Management on Treatment Adherence and Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Review. J Med Internet Res 2015; 17(2): e52.
DERMATOLOGIE PRAXIS 2018; 28(6): 28-29
