Reaching the end of the line: Operational issues with implementing phone-based unannounced pill counts in resource-limited settings.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Accurate measurement of adherence is necessary to ensure that therapeutic outcomes can be attributed to the recommended treatment. Phone-based unannounced pill counts were shown to be feasible and reliable measures of adherence in developed settings; and have been further used as part of medication adherence interventions. However, it is not clear whether this method can be implemented successfully in resource-limited settings, where cellular network and mobile phone coverage may be low. Our objective is to describe operational issues surrounding the use of phone-based unannounced pill counts in Lesotho and Ethiopia.

Methods

Phone-based monthly unannounced pill counts, using an adaptation of a standardized protocol from previous US-based studies, were utilized t

SUBMITTER: Hirsch-Moverman Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5648117 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature