Simple text reminders for medication adherence are common. The real opportunity is using two-way, AI-powered texting to create conversations that uncover the specific reasons (out of over 250 identified) why a patient might stop taking their medication, allowing for timely and personalized interventions.
The asynchronous nature of texting is a key advantage for patient support programs. Unlike a phone call that demands an immediate response and can lead to a frustrating busy signal, texting allows patients to engage on their own time. This low-pressure interaction model significantly reduces barriers and encourages more people to reach out.
Traditional trial recruitment methods like phone calls or emails often favor desk workers and higher socioeconomic demographics. Text messaging provides a more equitable channel, as mobile phone and SMS usage for internet access dominates in lower socioeconomic quartiles, reaching a broader, more representative patient population.
The future of patient interaction involves personal AI assistants (like Siri) managing healthcare tasks. A patient will tell their phone's AI to refill a prescription, which will then communicate directly with the pharmacy's AI to process the request, schedule pickup, and even navigate dependencies like renewing a doctor's visit.
Healthcare providers invest heavily in patient portals and custom apps but struggle with adoption. The core problem isn't the app's design but the high friction of getting users to download and engage. Texting (SMS) bypasses this by leveraging the one universal communication app patients already have installed with notifications enabled.