Marketing evaluation of consumer preferences in using mobile apps for healthcare to support drug adherence

Abstract

The goal of the study is to conduct a market research and an evaluation of the consumer preferences related to the use of mobile healthcare apps (mHealth) in Russia to support and promote patients' adherence to drugs. Materials and methods. The survey involved 1,099 mHealth consumers from two target segments. The first segment (S1) included intermediate consumers: real (264 pharmacists from 22 regions of Russia) and potential (293 students with major in Pharmacy). The second segment (S2) included 542 final consumers, or members of the general public, from 28 regions of Russia. Field studies were conducted using the oral survey (27 %) and web-based survey (73 %) methods with a structured questionnaire. The qualitative method with a two-dimensional perception chart and the quantitative method of individual point estimates with the calculation of integral indicators were used for positioning. Results and discussion. The marketing study of drug adherence has revealed that over 50 % of the respondents in S2 have low degree of adherence. The most common ways to support adherence were to take medications as part of the normal daily routine (87.1 %) and to use mobile healthcare apps (66.4 %). According to 98.2 % of the pharmacists and students (S1), mHealth apps could be more widely recommended for use. The leaders among mobile apps for drug control in Russia have been established as a result of positioning using qualitative and quantitative methods. A mechanism for promoting mHealth has been proposed in order to more fully satisfy consumer preferences. Conclusion. The obtained results provide the basis for the development of a set of strategic measures for the further development of the basic segment of the mobile healthcare app market to support drug adherence and to increase the competitive advantages of mHealth, which will contribute to the effective treatment and prevention of chronic diseases in Russia.