Around the globe, technology and the digital age are changing the way we live, communicate and conduct business.

Nearly 70 percent of Americans play online computer and video games. Fewer and fewer young adults read hard copies of newspapers and magazines. And as health issues such as diabetes, asthma and depression grow in prevalence, digital technology is increasingly being used by—and for—patients to influence health outcomes.

Already, 33 percent of Americans use social media and online sites to research health issues. Some experts predict that up to 21 percent of medicine will be practised via the internet or smart phones. The result? Incredible potential to ensure patient compliance with drug therapies.

Already, the pharmaceutical industry is responding to the possibilities with a range of strategies. From video games that award points for complying with disease management programmes to phone apps that help track blood sugar levels, technology is increasingly being designed to increase adherence, support patient therapy and influence health decisions.

Yet while technology races ahead, the regulatory environment remains unknown, creating hesitancy and caution on the part of the industry so eager to take up the digital age challenge.

In Digital Technologies to Boost Patient Compliance, FirstWord examines the regulatory questions surrounding the industry’s increasing use of apps, online monitoring, stand-alone devices and other technology to increase patient compliance. The 41-page dossier reports on a range of new technologies from smart phones and video games to smart pill packaging and social media. Timely, up-to-date and based on extensive research and interviews with industry insiders, the report offers big pharma critical information and insights into why digital technology can work for patient compliance—and how to use it.

The report offers insights into:

• Why patient compliance is so critical

• How digital and communication technologies can be used to ensure adherence to treatment

Key features

• Information on the latest uses of phone apps, smart pills and packaging, video games and social media

• A phone app case study

• Key charts and graphs outlining current usage of digital and information technology

• Insights into how the industry is using technology, as well as their outcomes