Hospitals, Startups, Patient Engagement

Mass General and Memotext use technology to help families of kids with ADHD

Massachusetts General Hospital and Memotext using digital health technology in an attempt to improve medication adherence in children with ADHD.

ADHD

Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital and Toronto-based startup Memotext have teamed up to improve medication adherence in kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

In a phone conversation with MedCity, Memotext President and Founder Amos Adler said the collaboration began when Mass General reached out to Memotext. “They were looking for somebody to help them with protocol to help families with children who were diagnosed with ADHD and to understand what the barriers to adherence are for that population,” Adler said.

So together, the organizations are making Mass General’s evidence-based program available to patients and their families. Memotext will utilize text messages to touch base with parents of children with ADHD and provide both reminders and educational information. Parents can then respond to messages and make the program more customizable.

“We’re reaching out to families to ask questions and message them with educational materials and support materials,” Adler said. “Not everybody gets the same thing. We’re really adapting to the needs of that population.”

By teaming up, Mass General and Memotext hope to improve treatment for kids with ADHD. Dr. Joseph Biederman, Mass General’s chief of clinical and research programs in pediatric psychopharmacology and adult ADHD, believes awareness is the sweet spot. In a statement, he noted studies have proven at least 30 percent of kids with ADHD don’t renew their first prescription.

“Often parents may not fully understand the benefits and side effects of the medication, how the medication works or what they should expect from the treatment,” Biederman said in a statement. “Having information and reminders delivered to their mobile devices may help parents feel more reassured and confident in continuing with a treatment plan — and such compliance ultimately will help more children.”

Adler elaborated, claiming a number of barriers block full understanding, but communication can help. “There’s a need for an ongoing touch point,” he said. “But if we can talk to patients on an ongoing basis in a secure way, we can have more understanding around the effectiveness of medications and when they should be talking to the practitioner.”

This goal ties in nicely to Memotext’s mission of making health data useful and helping people fulfill their healthcare-related targets. Adler said the company strives to engage patients long-term. “We have a ton of experience in both designing, delivering, deploying and commercializing digital health interventions,” he said. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all model. “When we create digital health engagement, every program is tailored to the individual,” Adler added.

Photo: Thinglass, Getty Images

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