Improving Persistence for Patients
HealthBeacon Injection Care Management System reduces the risk of discontinuation and improves persistence by as much as 19% over one year
Diagnosing and prescribing treatment for a chronic condition is critical for disease control, improved clinical outcomes and patient quality of life. However, patients’ persistence to their medication routine is crucial to their success on prescribed therapies. Unfortunately, considerable declines in treatment persistence occur in the months following initiation and can contribute to suboptimal recovery and disease management.
With existing literature demonstrating that persistence to therapy drops by almost 60% in the first 12 months following initiation1, the need for more effective medication support is evident. The HealthBeacon Injection Care Management System (ICMS) aims to improve persistence rates by enhancing patient support and accommodating daily routines with the Smart Sharps Bin technology and patient support platform.
To demonstrate the ability of the ICMS to enhance medication persistence, HealthBeacon compared our patient data to that available in the literature to measure the impact on persistence over the course of one year. An abstract of this study was submitted to the National Association of Speciality Pharmacy’s (NASP) 2021 Annual conference and published in the peer-reviewed journal, The Journal of Drug Assessment. The study results were also presented at a hybrid event on September 28, 2021.
This study analysed 12 months of data from over 7,000 HealthBeacon patients, all using the ICMS to manage their prescribed injectable treatments, across a range of therapeutic indications, including rheumatology, dermatology and gastroenterology. Their data was collected and compared with similar 12-month persistence data previously reported in the literature for patients within each of the same therapeutic areas, to test for relative improvements in persistence provided by HealthBeacon’s ICMS.
The findings were positive; the ICMS provided a considerable improvement in persistence when compared with previous reports, with a relative 18.7% increase across all therapeutic areas with use of the support platform. Compared to those without access to the system, HealthBeacon’s ICMS provided a decreased risk of discontinuation both overall and within each therapeutic area representing a considerable step in improving treatment persistence across numerous conditions. The ICMS was also found to potentially mitigate for some of the gender difference seen between male and female persistence to therapy. Instead, the universal benefits of the ICMS highlights its ability to support patient cohorts which the literature informs us are more likely to struggle with their medication compliance.
To view the PDF of the published abstracts from NASP’s 2021 Annual Conference, click this link. Or, download the full report here. For additional questions, please contact research@healthbeacon.com.
Dr. Sharifah Sarhan, MB BAO BCh is HealthBeacon’s Medical Science Liaison. Dr. Sarhan facilitates clinical research and assists with Regulatory Affairs. Sharifah is a medical doctor, graduating from University College Dublin and has experience across several medical specialities. Sharifah is based in in Dublin, Ireland.
[1] Marshall et al. (2018). Impact of the adalimumab patient support program’s care coach calls on persistence and adherence in Canada: An observational retrospective cohort study. Clinical Therapeutics, 40(3), 415-429.