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Medication Tracking Software: A Comprehensive Guide

By: John Bailey

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With over four billion prescriptions being filled in the United States every year, the need to ensure these medications are taken properly is rapidly increasing. With the possibility of dangerous drug interactions and an abundance of over-the-counter options available, medication management is more important than ever before.

Medication tracking is the perfect solution to assist in monitoring medication usage and preventing any adverse interactions. This tracking software allows physicians in multiple specialties to work collaboratively, granting them access to patients’ full medical records and histories them with the ability to discover the various medications that a patient is prescribed, so they don't prescribe any medications with known interactions.

What Is Medication Management?

image showing the main components of medication management; timetables for taking medication, alerts, pill descriptions, and patient data

Medication management encompasses a series of strategies meant to oversee medication prescriptions. It is designed and carried out to ensure medications are taken properly and the desired outcomes are taking place. When medication management programs are operating optimally, they reduce costs and improve the delivery of care, thus positively impacting patient health.

All too often, patients are treated with a standard approach. Medication therapy management, however, takes an individualized approach. It's important to remember that all patients don't react the same way to medications. Monitoring responses to their medication dosage and considering medications that they're currently taking is imperative in creating a customized treatment plan, preventing readmissions and death. This is especially important for treating individuals with chronic illnesses.

How Does It Work?

Medical tracking software is designed with the main objective of assisting patients with medication adherence. These tracking programs are accessible via a patient's smartphone or other electronic devices. Medication tracking software allows medications to be uploaded to a mobile device, along with its physical description, and instructions for use.

Quality tracking software is programmed with a drug interaction checker. With these capabilities, an alert is sent to physicians if a newly prescribed medication is going to react negatively with an existing regimen. In addition, patient allergies can be submitted to the platform to alert medical professionals if a potential allergic reaction may occur with prescribed medication.

For patients, medical tracking software alerts them of when and how much medication they need to take. More advanced applications will even show pictures and the prescribed dosage to help avoid patient error when taking the medication.

Must-Have Features

medication tracking software in the form of a mobile app. The app is showing a medication schedule, letting the user know which one to take specifically and at what times

Medication tracking software is only as good as its features. These features need to enhance usability for patients and providers alike.

Intuitive Interface

Intuitive interfaces make applications and software navigable for users, allowing them to easily input medicine names, physical descriptions, dosages, and time tables. The software should be able to visualize each pill with icons to reduce the risk of taking the wrong medication. Alerting users when it's time to take their medication, rescheduling an alert, and GPS functionalities are useful when sending reminders when near pill taking location.

Drug Interaction Checker

Another necessary feature of any medication tracking app is a drug-to-drug interaction checker. This is especially important for patients with drug allergies and those who are taking multiple medications. When a healthcare professional enters a new medication into the drug tracking system, it will alert them if there is a possibility of it interacting negatively with an existing regimen. This prevents unnecessary harm from drug interactions.

Vitals Tracker

Having up-to-date patient health information is invaluable in the medical field. A quality medication management app will provide an area for tracking vital signs. These can include blood pressure, weight, physical activity. This tracking can be shared with medical professionals who can alter a patient's medication based on any changes in their vital signs.

Rx Refill Reminders

The best tracking apps are programmed with built-in refill alerts. These easily allow patients to know when it's time to send in for a refill. This information will help to eliminate missed dosages due to a lapse in getting refills from the pharmacy. It also takes the pressure off of patients who otherwise would need to constantly track their pill amounts to know when a refill is necessary.

Shareable Reporting

While a medication tracking app can be extremely useful for patients, it can also be invaluable to caregivers. The best software programs out there allow for patients to easily share the data with any specified caregiver. In an instant, a patient can share their medication tracking history with a new caregiver to update them on their medication schedule and dosages.

Synchronization Across Multiple Devices

Synchronizing allows users to access and receive alerts across multiple connected devices. This feature should also be able to show where pharmacies are on a map, provide access patients and caretakers access to chats where they can communicate with care teams, video conferencing, billing, and more.

Benefits of Medication Tracking Apps

diagram outlining the benefits of medication therapy management

The major benefit of medication tracking apps is that they provide an electronic medication administration record. This allows both patients and physicians to have up-to-date information about the medications a patient is taking or has taken in the past. The record also assists patients in taking the proper dosage at the proper time with convenient reminders.

Some of the best medication tracking programs include information about mixing over-the-counter medications with prescription medications. With a simple tap on the screen, patients can easily see what over-the-counter medications interact with the medications that they're taking. This allows patients to be safer with over-the-counter medication use.

One of the most valuable benefits of a medication tracking program is that it allows the patients to become more engaged with their treatment when they have a chronic health condition. One of the biggest concerns for doctors is keeping patients on board with their medications. Many of these tracking programs allow for engagement possibilities in chat rooms, online forums, and other helpful resources for patients dealing with chronic illnesses.

Peace of mind is an amazing benefit that both patients and physicians can get out of these drug tracking apps. They allow the patient to know that they're taking the right medications at the right time. There's no need to have to focus on remembering when and how much medication was taken. A simple look at the app can provide this information.

Physicians can easily benefit from knowing that they're prescribing medications that don't interact with existing medications that a patient is taking. In addition, it allows physicians to see that their patients are following their dosage schedules and amounts. This helps to eliminate the patient error aspect from their future diagnoses.

How To Develop A Medication Management App

Mobile health app development is on the rise with a stark increase in demand from patients and physicians alike.

The global pandemic offset a trend for home-based and remote care, increasing the demand for digital solutions. Medication non-adherence is an issue the industry is having to grapple with more now than ever before. Medication management software helps to combat this. Developing the perfect solution with outstanding features, while also being HIPAA compliant, can be overwhelming. Hiring a software company, with expert healthcare developers will alleviate a lot of this stress. We at Chetu create custom mobile health apps, including medication tracking apps, designed specifically for your business’s needs. Get in touch today!

Disclaimer:

Chetu, Inc. does not affect the opinion of this article. Any mention of specific names for software, companies or individuals does not constitute an endorsement from either party unless otherwise specified. All case studies and blogs are written with the full cooperation, knowledge and participation of the individuals mentioned. This blog should not be construed as legal advice.

Chetu was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Florida. We deliver World-Class Software Development Solutions serving entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 clients. Our services include process and systems design, package implementation, custom development, business intelligence and reporting, systems integration, as well as testing, maintenance and support. Chetu's expertise spans across the entire IT spectrum.

- See more at: www.chetu.com/blogs

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