Pill-taking reminder app incorporates drug information

Called MediGuard, the new app is available for free from Apple's iTunes App Store for iPhone users and the Google Play Store for Android phone users. The pervasive mobile access to the app could be a big help to older adults living independently or receiving home healthcare. The app also could help assisted living organizations and CCRCs involve residents and families in proactive medication adherence.

According to a press release from Quintiles, the MediGuard app's pill reminder can be set for hourly, daily or weekly alerts. However, what sets this app apart from others is that it allows users to access a database of more than 4,000 drugs and to capture detailed drug information including potential side effects; black-box warnings; safety alerts and recalls; and drug interactions between medications. "With nearly one third of all mobile device owners using their phones to look up healthcare information, this capability has become an imperative if MediGuard is to engage with patients at moments when they most need access to that information," said David Coman, senior vice president at Quintiles. 

In addition to being able to set reminder alerts and look up information, MediGuard allows users to print out or email a list of all the medications they are taking in order to share this information with their physicians or family members.