Mobile App Usage Patterns of Patients Prescribed a Smoking Cessation Medicine: Prospective Observational Study

Abstract

BackgroundCigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States. Smoking cessation is challenging for many patients. Regardless of available treatment options, most quit attempts are unaided, and it takes multiple attempts before a patient is successful. With the ever-increasing use of smartphones, mobile apps hold promise in supporting cessation efforts. This study evaluates the ease of use and user satisfaction with the Pfizer Meds app to support smoking cessation among patients prescribed varenicline (Chantix).ObjectiveStudy participants included varenicline users who downloaded and used the app on their personal smartphone. The main objectives were to report mobile app download frequency and usage details and to describe the participant-reported satisfaction with and usefulness of the app over the 14-week follow-up study period.MethodsAdults aged 18 years or older who had been prescribed varenicline were identified from the Express Scripts Incorporated pharmacy claims database. After meeting privacy restrictions, subjects were sent an invitation letter and second reminder letter with instructions on how to download the Pfizer Meds mobile app. Participants received a push notification to complete a smartphone-enabled survey regarding the utility of the app 12 weeks after downloading the app. Descriptive statistics summarized sociodemographics, use of varenicline, and details of use and satisfaction with the mobile app.ResultsOf the 38,129 varenicline users who were sent invitation letters, 1281 participants (3.35%) downloaded the Pfizer Meds app. Of the 1032 users with demographic and other data, 585 (56.68%) were females, and 446 (43.22%) were males; mean age was 46.4 years (SD 10.8). The mean number of app sessions per participant was 4.0 (SD 6.8). The end-of-study survey was completed by 131 survey respondents (10.23%, 131/1281); a large number of participants (117/131, 89.3%) reported being extremely, very, or moderately satisfied with the app. A total of 97 survey respondents (97/131, 74.0%) reported setting up a quit date in the app. Of those, 74 (74/97, 76%) reported quitting on their quit date.ConclusionsPositive patient engagement was observed in this study based on app download and usage. This study quantified how the Pfizer Meds app performed in an observational real-world data setting. The findings demonstrate the willingness of participants to set a quit date and use the app for support in medication adherence, refill reminders, and information regarding how to take the medication. This study provides real-world evidence of the contribution apps can make to the continued encouragement of smokers to improve their health by smoking cessation.

Mobile Applications for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence

“…Pfizer meds was also developed for varenicline users to provide educational information and quit smoking support, including motivational support and medication information. Pfizer meds was tested in a prospective observational study (n = 131 survey completers at 3 months) and was found to have moderate levels of usability and user satisfaction [43].…”

Mass media promotion of a smartphone smoking cessation app: modelled health and cost-saving impacts

“…Nevertheless, a review of eight studies of such apps indicated favourable quit rates for app users in the range of 13 to 24% [4]. Others subsequent studies have also reported favourable results [5,6], but the first full randomised controlled trials (RCT) were not published until 2018. One of these was a multi-country study (Australia, Singapore, United Kingdom [UK] and the Unites States [US]), that reported a quit rate at 6 months of 8.5% in the intervention group vs 3.8% in the control group (a relative risk [RR] = 2.23; 95%CI: 1.08 to 4.77; intention-to-treat analysis) [7].…”

Attitudes & behaviors toward the management of tobacco smoking patients: qualitative study with French primary care physicians

“…Most French PCPs expressed an image of varenicline as being unsafe (e.g., depression, increased cardio-vascular risks), despite recent research demonstrating otherwise [ 32 , 33 ], which is correlated to their prescription habit [ 32 ]. Not all PCPs were aware of the recent development of digital support to help smoking cessation [ 34 ]. This knowledge was more common amongst younger PCPs who knew about smartphone applications and their effectiveness, even without direct involvement of PCPs [ 35 ].…”