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Q: It’s hard for me to keep up with my daily medication routine, and I sometimes forget a dose. Are there any tools or technology out there that I can use to help?

A: If you have trouble remembering to take the right medicine at the right time, you’re not alone. Taking medications as prescribed, also known as medication adherence, is a common problem for many people.

According to the journal US Pharmacist, medication adherence problems “can account for up to 50% of treatment failures, around 125,000 deaths and up to 25% of hospitalizations each year in the United States.”

Missing doses can also be expensive. Research shows that improved medication adherence could save somewhere between $100 billion and $300 billion annually in healthcare costs.

However, if you have a smartphone, you already have potential tools at your fingertips. Smartphones have features that can help, such as setting a daily alarm as a reminder. Or you can use the phone’s built-in Health app to track lists and set reminders.

If you want to go a step further, many smartphone apps have been developed to help, including Pill Reminder, Round Health, CareZone and Mango Health.

One popular app

With well over a million downloads, Medisafe is one of the most popular free apps available, earning 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 24,000 iOS reviews and 4.6 out of 5 stars from over 184,000 Android reviews.

Beyond simply reminding you to take your daily or “as needed” medications, Medisafe shows an image of each pill and can play different sounds for different medications.

Not a good time to take your meds? No problem: the app will allow you to snooze the dose for up to two hours.

Medisafe also allows sharing with up to six other people, so loved ones or caretakers can receive an alert about any missed doses and check in for safety.

Other helpful features

Regardless of which app you choose, many of them share common features, such as information about drug interactions and side effects.

Other helpful features in many apps include refill reminders that alert you when medications might be running low. Most apps store your doctors’ contact information, which make calling the right doctor for refills a breeze.

These apps can often store key health information — such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels and weight — which can be useful for tracking personal progress or discussing your health with your providers.

Some apps even synchronize information with smart watches so you can receive reminders with the turn of a wrist rather than interrupting your active lifestyle by keeping your phone in your hand.

Regardless of how complicated your medication list and routines may be, smartphone technology can help give you some peace of mind in managing your health.

Wylie Crane is a fourth-year Pharm.D. student at VCU School of Pharmacy. She majored in biology and minored in journalism at the University of Richmond. Her areas of interest include ambulatory care, older adults and academia.