Taking medications: apps are not going to replace health-care professionals
Many people find it difficult to take their medication correctly as prescribed. This has significant health implications and economic consequences. Digital health apps are designed to help people take their medication correctly. However, a study by the University of Basel shows that digital assistants do not replace the need for personalized professional support. They have also not yet reached their full potential.
09 March 2026 | Lara Uebelhart
According to current figures, 30 to 50 percent of people who need regular medication do not take it correctly. Patient noncompliance, as it is referred to in medicine, not only has serious consequences for the health of patients, such as reduced treatment success and higher death rates, but the health-care system is also bearing the consequences.
“An international review shows that patient noncompliance results in additional expenses of USD 950 to USD 44,000 per person per year,” says Pharmacist Dr. Kirstin Messner. In Switzerland, more than two million people live with a chronic, noncommunicable disease. It would therefore be beneficial to improve medication compliance. In other words, to assist people in taking their medication as prescribed.
Are apps the solution?
One potential strategy is the use of health apps that are designed to improve patient compliance. The reasons for noncompliance are complex, and apps are not a suitable solution for everyone. However, they can help people remember to take their medication and keep track of it.
Messner investigated whether the apps meet these expectations as part of her dissertation in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The results were recently published in the scientific journal “JMIR mHealth and uHealth” and show that compliance apps are generally a useful complementary tool. However, users desire features, such as exporting and sharing the data, that free apps do not adequately provide.
Market survey of Swiss app stores
Messner investigated nine free medication compliance apps for the study. Building on the results of an earlier study, Messner examined whether the apps offered the following five desirable features: medication records, charts, statistics, rewards, and exportable data.
Messner also worked with two focus groups to develop three additional app features that would be valuable for users: 1) professional feedback on treatment, 2) additional recommendations or information, and 3) the option to discuss the data with a health-care provider. These additional features all point toward the desire for personal support from health-care professionals.
Quantitative survey confirms desire for professional support
In addition, the research team conducted an online survey with 60 participants in which they were asked to rank the eight features of the compliance apps according to their relevance. The evaluation showed that the three additional features that revolve around contact with specialists were rated medium to high. Medication records were ranked as the most important app feature, while rewards were least important.
“The study highlights an important subject and issue – that of medication compliance. And, at the same time, it discusses a modern solution in the form of apps.” Messner emphasizes that further research is needed into the effectiveness, appropriateness, and cost-efficiency of the apps. However, Messner hopes to have stimulated development and further research in this field through her study.
Messner suggests that it would be beneficial to further develop the health-care system in order to allow the apps to be integrated effectively. “While the apps already support self-management at home, the results show that patients explicitly want contact with health-care professionals.” So features that facilitate this should be provided by the apps. “The fear that digital tools will replace pharmacists or doctors is unfounded. In the future both should work together.”
Original publication
Messner Kirstin et al.
Exploring the Fit Between the Outputs of Freely Available Medication Adherence Apps and Users’ Needs: Mixed Methods Study
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth (2025), doi: 10.2196/68919
