Smart Pillboxes Support Patient Adherence
A team of researchers highlighted the benefits of utilizing smart pillboxes to improve patient compliance with medication regimens at the Third International Conference on HIV Adherence. News of the results presentation was posted by Health Data Management.
The team, based at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), noted that standard adherence rates among HIV patients hover around 70 percent. As well, between one fifth and one third of HIV patients will miss at least one medication dose during a three day period. Medication compliance is particularly crucial to provide patients with intended therapeutic benefits.
The team utilized the Med-eMonitor system from Informedix. This system was created to monitor patient compliance with medication therapy and also collect information for patient diaries. Information from the system is transmitted to caregivers. The pillbox system also incorporates the company’s Med-eXpert software system.
The UCSF study included 76 patients. After implementing the smart pillbox, medication adherence rates improved to more than 89 percent. Notably, many of the patients included in the cohort also suffered from mental illnesses in addition to HIV.
The pillboxes are small, about the size of videocassette. Drugs are stored and dispensed from one of five different drawers. An alarm is employed, which alerts patients when they are supposed to take various medications. The smart pillbox documents when patients take medication. It also captures information about how patients feel following medication administration.
Patients put the pillbox onto a phone cradle to upload data contained within. This information is then submitted to caregivers, which is stored in a central database for the provider organization. The company’s software system analyzes patient information that was collected. The Med-eXpert system alerts clinicians when patient health is declining or they miss therapy doses.
March 27, 2008 Related topics: New Technology & Innovation, Quality, Safety, Errors, Pharmaceuticals