Ben Long, MD, and Weston Blakeslee, PhD, explain how personalized text messaging helps overcome common adherence barriers and keeps patients engaged without overwhelming them.
In an interview with Pharmacy Times®, Ben Long, MD, director of Hospital Medicine at Magnolia Regional Health Center, and Weston Blakeslee, PhD, vice president of Clinical Intelligence at DrFirst, discussed the complex and individualized barriers that prevent patients with heart failure from adhering to their medications and how personalized text nudges can help overcome them. The two experts authored a study that found that interaction with SMS-based text reminders improved medication adherence and readmission rates for patients with congestive heart failure.
Long explained that common challenges include patients’ lack of understanding about what medications they are prescribed, why they are needed, when to start therapy, whether their primary care provider supports the change, and how much the treatment will cost. These uncertainties, combined with widespread polypharmacy, create significant obstacles to adherence, particularly in complex conditions such as heart failure. Long noted that patients are often overwhelmed by multi-drug regimens and may resist treatment altogether, reinforcing the need for clearer communication and support.
According to Long, text nudges help make care feel less episodic by extending communication beyond the clinical encounter. This ongoing engagement promotes better continuity, improves equity, and helps patients feel more supported during transitions of care. By addressing patient concerns in real time, mobile communication tools create opportunities to reinforce education and encourage follow-through after discharge.
Blakeslee emphasized the importance of thoughtful message design to maintain high engagement and low opt-out rates. He explained that the platform continuously optimizes message timing and frequency to avoid overwhelming patients. For pharmacists, Blakeslee highlighted opportunities to extend this approach by delivering highly relevant, patient-centered communications. These include updates on medication availability, pickup readiness, cost-savings opportunities, and clinical program information. Such targeted messaging ensures every interaction provides tangible value, helping sustain patient engagement.
“The way you keep opt-out rates low is by making sure every message you send is actually useful to the patient.” - Weston Blakeslee, PhD
Both experts stressed that effective mobile communication depends on usefulness and personalization. By focusing on practical needs and addressing polypharmacy challenges through coordinated messaging, pharmacists can strengthen patient relationships, improve adherence, and support better health outcomes in patients managing complex medication regimens.
Blakeslee and Long previously spoke about the study in part 1 of this video interview. You can watch it here.
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