Apps & Aspirin: Medication Reminder Applications & Aspirin for Primary Prevention

Katie Wiskar, GIM fellow at the University of British Columbia, is back this week on The Rounds Table. She is joined by Stephane Voyer, practicing general internist at the University of British Columbia. Today they review medication application reminders and aspirin for primary prevention.

Forty percent of patients or more are non-adherent to medications that are prescribed to them. Phone applications have been developed as a means to mitigate this. Stephane reviews a randomized control trial comparing an advanced medication reminder application with a basic medication reminder application in an effort to improve medication adherence in a population with coronary heart disease.

Aspirin has been established for secondary prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with a history of coronary heart disease and stroke. What about for primary prevention? Katie discusses the ASPREE trial and if using enteric-coated aspirin compared to placebo would alter disability-free survival in adults without known coronary artery disease or cerebrovascular disease.

Finally, the Good Stuff segment. Stephane shares an article that addresses the concern that most research claims are false and the implications of this finding. Katie highlights a commentary on a recent report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) on sexual harassment in medicine and the challenges to addressing this on a national and institutional level.

Like what you hear? Rate us on iTunes! Chat with us on Twitter at @roundstable and tweet at Katie Wiskar @katiewiskar and at UBC Medicine @UBCmedicine.

Interested in helping us evaluate our podcast episodes? We’re currently recruiting a panel of residents to serve as regular reviewers for the show. If you’re interested, email wkwong@qmed.ca.