Drug Monitoring Information Improves Regimen Adherence, Researchers Say

Most people want to take mediations as prescribed, even if they sometimes need a little help remembering. For them, an automated system that monitors drug taking and provides feedback after the fact may be more useful than one that nags people when it is time to take a pill, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University say.

In a 10-month study of such a system in the homes of older adults with chronic health problems, the researchers found that adherence to a medication regimen improved when people had ready access to a digital display of their medication-taking record. These people were more likely to take the correct medication promptly and at the same time of day than people who didn't receive the ongoing feedback.

What's important is that people feel that they are in control of their medication habits and that they obtain information that enables them to make improvements if necessary, said Anind Dey, associate professor in CMU's Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII). He and his co-author, Matthew Lee of Philips Research North America, will present their findings on April 30 at the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Toronto.

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Source: Medical Xpress