New medicine list app with multiple profiles helps you care for the whole family

NPS MedicineWise has launched a new app, MedicineList+, for both Android and iOS devices. The free app is designed to help you manage your medicines and record why you're taking them, as well as record other important health information including measurement and test results.

The app is also capable of keeping track of more than one person's medicines list, which can be very handy for parents and people who care for older family members.

NPS MedicineWise clinical adviser Dr Philippa Binns says the MedicineList+ app will be a great help to anyone who takes medicines, but especially people who take three or more prescription, over-the-counter or complementary medicines every day.

"We know that keeping a medicines list is an important part of being medicinewise, but according to our recent survey* of people aged 65 years or older or their carers, only 55% of older Australians keep a list of their medicines while 30% have no way of keeping track of them at all, which is not ideal," says Dr Binns.

"Of those people who do keep a medicines list, almost all keep track of their prescription medicines but only 60% list their over-the-counter medicines, and just 55% list their complementary medicines such as herbs, vitamins and fish oil.

"What's more, 54% of people who keep a medicines list said they do not update it every time they stop or start a new medicine, and only 48% said they would take their list with them every time they visited a health professional.

"The new MedicinesList+ app can make it easier to list all the medicines you and your family are taking, keep the list up to date, and have the information on hand when you see your health professional so you can really get the most out of your visit."

Top six features of the new MedicineList+ app:

• Generate a handy list of medicines, which you can email, print or save for sharing with family members, carers or health professionals.
• Scan the barcode from your medicine's packaging to enter it straight into your medicines list.
• Create multiple user profiles, each with personal details — great for helping the family to manage their medicines.
• Set a reminder for individual medicine doses or for general medicine reminders, e.g. the next due dose of a vaccine.
• Store measurement and test results and important numbers, e.g. for blood pressure, weight, height and INR, and graph these over time.
• Add free text and notes, for example store details of all your health professionals, and create notes and general health reminders including allergies and emergency contacts.

The NPS MedicineWise Medicines List will continue to be available as a paper product — available from your local pharmacy or to order free from NPS MedicineWise. It is also available as an online form and as a PDF download on the NPS MedicineWise website. To find out about all the different ways to access a medicines list, visit www.nps.org.au/medicineslist.

Individual medicines list data is stored locally on the app, and no data is shared with NPS MedicineWise or publicly.

To find out more and to download the apps for Android phones and devices and for Apple phones and devices, go to www.nps.org.au/medicineslist-plus.

* Survey of 796 people aged 65 years or older or their carers conducted in July/August 2013 by UMR Research