Senior citizens have reported good results in an experiment to measure smart packaging to monitor the correct timing for taking prescription medications, according to a study carried out by the University of Waterloo in Ontario.
Other studies have found that many elderly patients do not always take their medications properly or on time.
"With an aging population where taking multiple medications is common, incorrect medication-taking – called medication non-adherence – is a problem impacting the health of patients and costs the health-care system billions of dollars," said the university news release.
Smart packages are used to monitor electronically when patients take their medication. The smart packaging includes pills, tablets or capsules inside plastic blister packs. The package is synchronized with internet or cellular technology and records each time a participant opens a blister to take medications. If the prescription is not followed as advised by their physician, the smart system can notify patients and their caregivers.
"Many of these products are advertised as user-friendly and efficient, but not all are tested with seniors in mind. So how would we know if older adults are able to use them for their day-to-day medication intake and are there any factors that can impact their in-home utilization?” said Sadaf Faisal, a PhD candidate at Waterloo's School of Pharmacy and lead author of the study.
The researchers did in-home visits with 10 participants, who had a mean age of 76, said the university. On average, each person was taking 11 medications for at least five chronic diseases. The participants were given a smart blister pack that recorded each time a participant opened a blister to take meds.
Researchers interviewed the participants to discover that the participants accepted the technology.
“Across participants, we found fairly consistent pros and cons to the technology,” said Tejal Patel, a pharmacy professor and co-author of the study.
“The ability to learn the product easily was important for the participants to use it consistently. Feedback from their social circle – such as supportive children, partners or health-care providers – also helped reinforce using the technology.”
Also, the university said participants who were more comfortable with technology in general were more open to using and liking the smart blister pack. However, the larger size of the packaging and lack of portability were a significant downside.
Also, if the product behaved inconsistently – sending reminders one day but not another, for example – participants became frustrated.
Participants also said cost was a barrier to use and that they would be less likely to consider smart technology if it was not covered by a drug plan or funded by the government, said the university.
The study was recently published in the research journal PLOS One.
