Product Requirements Document (PRD) - "MediTrack" a Medication Adherence App

Introduction

Purpose:

The purpose of this document is to outline the product requirements for a digital medication adherence app called MediTrack designed to improve adherence among chronic patients. This app aims to empower both healthcare professionals and patients by enabling them to manage medication regimens more effectively.

Scope:

The product scope includes a platform that allows patients to enter medication details, set up reminders, and track their adherence. The solution will also include a backend system for managing patient data and generating adherence reports. Healthcare providers will have access to these reports to monitor patient progress. The app will focus on simplicity, ease of use, and features to enhance user engagement.

Audience:

• Product development team
• Designers
• Developers
• Quality assurance engineers
• Project managers
• Healthcare providers and pharmacy partners
• Marketing and customer support teams

Problem Statement

Background:

Medication non-adherence is a pervasive issue among chronic patients, leading to poor health outcomes and increased healthcare costs. Despite the availability of digital tools, many patients struggle with the complexity of medication regimens and lack sufficient support from healthcare providers. Existing solutions often fall short in offering a comprehensive approach that effectively bridges the gap between patients and healthcare professionals.

Challenges:

1. Ensuring patients take their medications as prescribed by providing timely reminders and tracking.
2. Simplifying the process of medication management for both patients and healthcare providers.

Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)

Product Vision:

For chronic patients who want to set up medication regimen and receive personalized medication reminders, and their healthcare providers who want to monitor their patients’ medication adherence remotely MediTrack is a digital health solution that empowers patients to manage their medications effectively and give healthcare providers the ability to monitor their patient medication adherence Unlike current alternatives, MediTrack offers a seamless connection between patients and healthcare providers, simplicity, ease of use, and features to enhance user engagement.

Goals:

1. Increase medication adherence rates
2. Enhance patient engagement

OKRs:

Objective 1: Improve patient adherence to prescribed medication plans.

• KR1: Achieve a 20% increase in medication adherence rates among users within the next 6 months.
• KR2: Reduce the percentage of missed doses by 25% through app reminders and follow-up notifications.

Objective 2: Strengthen user interaction and satisfaction with the app.

• KR1: Increase weekly active users (WAU) by 25% within 3 months.
• KR2: Achieve a user satisfaction score of 85% or higher through in-app surveys.

Research and Insights

User Research:

Methods: Surveys, interviews, and focus groups with chronic patients, healthcare and providers,

Findings: The majority of chronic patients struggle with medication adherence due to forgetfulness, complex regimens, and a lack of support in managing their regimens. Many users are not aware of any digital solution to help them adhere to their medication due to their low tech savviness and lack of awareness, those that are aware expressed frustration with current solutions, citing not user-friendly user experience, while healthcare providers want to be able to track their patient’s adherence to their medication.

Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD):

Patients:

• Allow me to set up my medication schedule without complexity.
• Help me remember to take my medication as prescribed.
• Help me track my medication adherence to see my progress.

Healthcare Providers:

• Help me track my patients' adherence to improve their treatment outcomes.
• Provide me with insights into my patients’ medication habits to enhance their care plans.

Market Research:

Growth: The medication adherence app market is expanding, driven by the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and the shift towards digital health solutions.

Competitor Analysis: While top competitors offer basic features such as medication reminders and tracking, they fall short in providing a user-friendly experience that appeals to a broader audience. This presents an opportunity to differentiate by focusing on simplicity and usability, especially for less tech-savvy users.

User Personas and Use Cases

User Persona

Persona 1: Sarah, (Chronic Patient)

• Age: 65
• Occupation: Office Manager
• Health Condition: Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes
• Tech Savviness: Moderate; uses smartphone apps for communication
• Goals: To manage her complex medication regimen effectively without missing doses.
• Pain Points: Struggles to remember taking her medications on time.

Persona 2: Dr. John, (Healthcare Provider)

• Age: 40
• Occupation: Primary Care Physician
• Tech Savviness: High; uses advanced medical software and apps
• Goals: To monitor his patients’ medication adherence remotely and to receive timely reports on their progress.
• Pain Points: It’s difficult to track patient adherence efficiently.

Use Cases:

1. Dr. John monitors patient adherence

Scenario: Dr. John has several patients who struggle with medication adherence. He recommends the app to them, assisting with onboarding if they are not tech-savvy or providing them with an onboarding link if they are comfortable with technology. Through the app, Dr. John receives regular reports on his patients' medication intake, allowing him to intervene when necessary.

Outcome: Dr. John can monitor his patients’ adherence remotely, reducing the need for frequent clinic visits, improving patient outcomes, and delivering more efficient care.

2. Sarah sets up medication reminders Scenario: Sarah downloads the app to manage her daily medications for hypertension and diabetes. After setting up her profile, she inputs her prescribed medications, including dosages and times. The app allows her to customize reminders based on her daily routine.

Outcome: Sarah receives timely notifications on her smartphone, helping her take her medications as prescribed. Over time, her adherence improves, which is reflected in her health metrics.

Solution Ideation

Brainstorming:

Several concepts were considered, including Personalized Medication Reminders, Adherence Tracking with Gamification and Rewards, Caregiver Integration, and Simple Reporting for Healthcare Providers.

Decision-Making:

The decision was made to focus on simplicity and ease of use for the users.

Design and Development

User Flow Diagram:

User Flow Diagram for Healthcare Provider

User Flow Diagram for Patient

Wireframes:

Wireframes for Healthcare Provider Screens

High-Fidelity Designs:

Design Process:

Iterative design approach with feedback loops from potential users to refine UI/UX.

User Story Map

User Story Map for Healthcare Provider

User Story Map for Patient

User Stories and Product Features

User Stories:

Patients:

• As a patient, I want to set up my medication regimen quickly and easily so that I can start managing my medications with minimal effort.
• As a patient, I want to receive personalized medication reminders so that I can take my medications on time without forgetting.
• As a patient, I want to track my medication intake so that I can monitor my adherence over time and ensure I’m following my treatment plan.

Healthcare Provider:

• As a healthcare provider, I want to monitor my patients’ medication adherence remotely so that I can identify non-adherence and intervene when necessary.
• As a healthcare provider, I want to generate reports on patient adherence so that I can make data-driven decisions during consultations.

Feature List:

• Medication regimen setup: Patients can easily set up their medication regimen by inputting their prescriptions, dosages, and timing into the app. The setup process is user-friendly and quick.
• Medication reminders: Patients can set up personalized reminders for each medication based on their specific regimen (e.g., dosage, timing). The app sends notifications to ensure they take their medication on time.
• Medication intake tracking: Patients can log when they take their medications, allowing them to track their adherence over time. The app provides a visual overview of their adherence patterns.
• Patient adherence monitoring: Healthcare providers can remotely monitor their patients' medication adherence through a dashboard that shows real-time data on intake patterns and missed doses.
• Adherence report generation: The app generates detailed adherence reports for healthcare providers, summarizing a patient’s medication intake over a specified period. These reports can be used during consultations to adjust treatment plans.
• Onboard Patients: With this feature, healthcare providers would be able to onboard their patients right from their own device, this will be useful if they have patients that will find setting up medication regiments very cumbersome.
• Schedule Appointments: This feature will allow healthcare providers schedule appointments with their patient using the app.
• Edit/Add patient information: This feature will enable healthcare providers to add patients that have already onboarded onto the platform and remove them right from the healthcare provider's device.
• Add patient's medical condition and medication regimen: This feature will enable healthcare providers to setup the patient's medical condition details and medication regimen, it is useful if the patient finds setting up these details and information cumbersome.

Feature Prioritization (Prioritized Using MoSCoW Framework):

Must-Have:

• Medication reminders
• Medication regimen setup
• Patient adherence monitoring

Should-Have:

• Adherence report
• Medication intake tracking

Could-Have:

• View Metrics

Won't-Have (This Time): (These features will not be implemented in this iteration but can be considered for future enhancements.)

• Onboard Patients
• Schedule Appointments
• Edit/Add patient information
• Add Patient's medical condition & medication regimen

Technical Requirements

Platform Requirements:

• A responsive web application that can be accessed via popular browsers (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox) on both desktop and mobile devices.

System Architecture:

• Web Application developed using modern web frameworks like React.js or Angular to provide a responsive and user-friendly interface.
• API Layer: RESTful API for communication between the frontend and backend systems, handling tasks like user authentication, medication data management, and adherence tracking.
• Database: A secure and scalable database solution (e.g., PostgreSQL, MongoDB) to store user data, medication schedules, and adherence records.
• Notification Service: Integration with third-party notification services (e.g., Firebase Cloud Messaging, Apple Push Notification Service) to send reminders and alerts to users.

Technical Constraints:

• Device Compatibility: Ensuring the app performs well on a range of devices, including older smartphones with limited processing power and memory.
• Offline Functionality: The app should be able to handle intermittent connectivity by allowing users to enter data offline and sync with the backend when the connection is restored. Security Requirements:
• The system must comply with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulations, ensuring that all patient data is handled with the highest level of security and privacy.

Functional and Non-Functional Requirements

Functional Requirements:

• Medication reminder setup
• Adherence tracking
• User registration and profile management
• Healthcare provider access to patient adherence data

Non-Functional Requirements:

• The app must load within 2-3 seconds on both web and mobile platforms.
• The app’s interface should be intuitive and easy to navigate, requiring minimal user training.
• The app must comply with HIPAA and other relevant data protection regulations.

Testing and Validation

Testing Strategy:

Alpha Testing:

• Verify core functionalities work as expected.
• Ensure the app runs smoothly across all supported platforms.
• Identify and fix critical bugs and issues.

Beta Testing:

• Gather user feedback on usability and functionality.
• Identify and fix any remaining issues before the full launch.
• Validate that the app meets the needs of the target audience.

Results:

• (Documentation of testing outcomes and feedback. Gather user feedback on usability and functionality)

Dependencies and Assumptions

Dependencies:

External Systems:

• Notification Services: Reliance on third-party services (e.g., Firebase, Twilio) for sending in-app notifications.

Teams:

• Customer Support Team: Provides training and support to users, especially healthcare providers, during onboarding and throughout app usage.

Assumptions:

• Patient Tech Savviness: Assume that patients are comfortable using smartphones and are familiar with app-based reminders, which may vary based on demographics.
• Adherence Improvement: Assume that the app’s features (e.g., reminders, tracking) will significantly improve medication adherence, though this will need to be validated through user feedback and performance metrics.

Timeline and Milestones

Roadmap:

Phase 1: Research and Planning (Month 1)

• Conduct user research and market analysis
• Finalize product requirements and PRD
• Define technical requirements and architecture

Phase 2: Design and Prototyping (Month 2)

• Develop wireframes and design mockups
• Create a clickable prototype for user testing
• Gather feedback and refine design

Phase 3: Development (Month 3-4)

• Backend development (API, database, security)
• Frontend development (UI, UX for web platforms)
• Integration of key features

Phase 4: Testing and Validation (Month 5)

• Alpha testing with internal team
• Beta testing with a limited external audience
• Gather feedback and address bugs/issues

Phase 5: Launch Preparation (Month 6)

• Develop marketing and user acquisition strategies
• Conduct final security audits and compliance checks

Phase 6: Launch (Month 7)

• Official product launch
• Begin user acquisition campaigns
• Monitor app performance and user feedback

Phase 7: Post-Launch and Iteration (Month 8-12)

• Track key metrics (acquisition, activation, retention)
• Release updates and new features based on user feedback
• Continue marketing efforts and scale user base

Milestones:

• Milestone 1: Complete User Research and Market Analysis (End of Month 1)
• Milestone 2: Finalize PRD and Technical Requirements (End of Month 1)
• Milestone 3: Design Prototype Ready for Testing (End of Month 2)
• Milestone 4: Complete Backend and Frontend Development (End of Month 4)
• Milestone 5: Conduct Alpha and Beta Testing (End of Month 5)
• Milestone 6: Finalize Marketing and Launch Preparations (End of Month 6)
• Milestone 7: Official Product Launch (Beginning of Month 7)
• Milestone 8: Post-Launch Metrics Review and Iterations (Ongoing)

Risk Management

Potential Risks:

• Low user adoption from chronic patients and healthcare providers
• Technical issues and downtime leading to chronic patients missing notifications
• Patients inputting inaccurate medication data

Mitigation Strategies:

• Invest in user onboarding, training, and continuous engagement campaigns
• Develop a scalable and redundant system architecture to minimize downtime
• Implement validation checks and prompts for patients to confirm medication entries.

Outcomes and Impact

Pirate Metrics (AARRR Framework):

1. Acquisition:
2. Activation:
3. Retention:
4. Referral:
5. Revenue:

Launch Plan

Go-to-Market Strategy:

Target Audience:

• Primary: Chronic patients (e.g., diabetes, hypertension) needing medication management.
• Secondary: Healthcare providers monitoring patient adherence.

Positioning:

• A user-friendly app that simplifies medication management and improves health outcomes.

Marketing Channels:

• Digital Marketing: Utilize social media, email campaigns, and content marketing to reach patients and healthcare providers.
• Partnerships: Collaborate with healthcare providers, clinics, and pharmacies to recommend the app to patients.
• In-App Referrals: Incentivize users to refer the app to others for a personalized experience.
• PR & Media: Launch press releases and pitch stories to health and tech media outlets to build awareness.

Sales Strategy:

• Healthcare Providers: Offer a subscription model or freemium access to healthcare providers, with premium features like patient adherence reports.
• Patient Focused: Free access for patients with the option to unlock premium features (e.g., advanced tracking or insights).

Pre-Launch Activities:

• Beta Testing: Conduct beta tests with a select group of users to gather feedback and refine the app.
• Educational Content: Develop tutorials, webinars, and onboarding guides to help new users get started quickly.

Launch Day Activities:

• Launch Event: Organize a virtual launch event with live demos, testimonials, and a Q&A session.
• Engage Influencers: Collaborate with healthcare influencers to promote the app during the launch phase.

Release Criteria:

Technical Readiness:

• All core features (medication regimen setup, personalized reminders, patient adherence monitoring) must be fully functional and tested.
• The app must pass security and compliance audits, ensuring data privacy and security (HIPAA compliance if applicable).
• Performance benchmarks (load times, error rates) must meet defined standards.

User Experience (UX) Validation:

• Positive feedback from beta testers, with a satisfaction score of 80% or higher.
• Seamless onboarding process with a 90% success rate in setting up the first medication reminder.

Support Readiness:

• Customer support and technical support teams must be trained and prepared for user inquiries.
• FAQs, help center content, and support documentation must be complete and accessible.

Market Readiness:

• Marketing materials (website, app store listing, press kits) must be finalized and aligned with the app’s value proposition.
• Partnerships with healthcare providers and other stakeholders must be in place for distribution and promotion.

Go/No-Go Decision:

• Review the app against the release criteria and ensure all must-haves are met.
• Final approval from product management, development, and marketing teams.

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