When a person has health issues and is faced with a new diagnosis or illness, it might be a struggle to remember the most vital part of the treatment: medication management. This can be a problem for people that have multiple medications to administer at different times of the day or when a new medication for a family member starts. A person can use a timer as a reminder, (if they remember to set it!), but the best solution may be simpler than that. The Apple iPhone has multiple apps to track medication and assist in pill reminders.
It's tough when you have to remind yourself to take the pill out of the orange bottle. O.o
When there is more than one patient
Becky R. in Scottsdale found this to be especially helpful when her elderly mother moved in with her. Her mother was on a list of medications to treat her diabetes, blood pressure problems, anxiety and gout. However, Becky herself took medication and trying to remember her mother’s medications in addition to her own on a daily basis was confusing. Becky’s mother filled all her prescriptions from Walgreens. Becky uploaded the Walgreens App on her iPhone and was able to see all of her mother’s medications, create a pill reminder chart and the app also told her when it was close to a refill. She now receives a notification on her phone when it is time for her mother to take her medication and she can record the doses.
“It was heaven,” Becky said after she started getting the pill notifications. While she had established the habits of taking her own medications, adding a new set of pills changed her system.
Get the App!
Take the mystery out of your medication times and dates. Get the app!
While most common drugstores have an app to assist their customers with medication management and prescription ordering, there are also multiple apps in the App Store that assist with medication management. One app, Round Health, which is also compatible with the Apple Watch, has excellent reviews and is fairly simple to navigate and use. Prescription medications can be added and deleted if a prescription is changed fairly easily. There is a ‘notes’ section to go along with the medication in case the provider has specific instructions for it (an antibiotic that shouldn’t be taken with yogurt, for example). It is visually appealing and a simple tap will notify the app that the medication was taken. The statistics can be viewed monthly, showing how often a medication was skipped and the information can be communicated to a provider.
Diabetes Apps
There are also multiple applications specifically designed for diabetic patients. Keeping track of insulin doses and blood sugars can be tricky for patients, yet it is a crucial piece of maintaining the best possible physical health. mySugr, Dexcom Share, Glucose Buddy, Sugar Sense are all different apps that can be used to not only track blood sugar readings, but also insulin doses. These are easy to refer back to later.
While no one really wants to have a daily medication routine, using the iPhone can make it easier and less confusing, especially keeping track of doses. Check out some of the apps and give them a try.
