Electronic Pill Bottle Boosts Rx Adherence,
Researchers Find
Patients with elevated blood pressure who used a wireless electronic pill bottle were 27% more likely to adhere to their anti-hypertension prescription drug regimen than patients without the electronic pill bottle, according to an interim analysis of an ongoing study, Healthcare IT News reports.
The left for Connected Health is conducting the six-month study, which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the wireless prescription product GlowCap. GlowCap, which was developed by the medical product firm Vitality, fits popular pill containers and uses lights and sounds to alert patients to take their medications at appropriate times.
GlowCap also can use its embedded wireless connection to:
• Deliver automated calls to alert patients to missed doses;
• Provide weekly progress reports;
• Remind users to refill prescriptions; and
• Share adherence data with physicians and family members.
Study Details
For the study, researchers randomly split 139 patients into one of three groups:
• A control group that received no medication communications or GlowCap services;
• An intervention group that received GlowCap services such as visual and audio medication reminders, missed dose reminder phone calls, medication refill reminders and progress reports; and
• An "intervention-plus" group that received the GlowCap services, as well as financial incentives for monthly adherence rates exceeding 80% (Monegain, Healthcare IT News, 6/23).
After three months of analysis, researchers found that:
• The control group had a 71% adherence rate;
• The intervention group had a 98% adherence rate; and
• The intervention-plus group had a 99% adherence rate (Dolan, Mobihealthnews, 6/23).
Researchers are expected to release a final analysis of the study this fall (Healthcare IT News, 6/23).