Suggested nomenclature for describing medication adherence and engagement with digital adherence technologies
| Taxonomy for describing adherence to medications (from Vrijens et al 70) | Taxonomy for describing engagement with digital adherence technologies |
| Initiation: time point when the first dose of medication is taken | Starting: time point when engagement with technology begins (eg, first SMS text response, phone call, digital pillbox opening etc) |
| Dosing implementation: correspondence between patient’s actual dosing and the prescribed dosing regimen | Technology participation: correspondence between expected daily engagement with the technology and actual daily engagement |
| Persistence: length of time between initiation and last dose | Duration of engagement: length of time between starting and stopping of engagement with the technology |
| Discontinuation: time point when the patient takes her last dose | Stopping: time point when the patient has the last recorded engagement with the technology (eg, last SMS text response, phone call, digital pillbox opening etc) |
SMS, short messaging service.