Elders in the United States take an average of nine medications each day. In the clinical world, failure to take medications as prescribed, or non-adherence, has been the subject of much research. In general, studies show that daily errors in medication routines are very common.The most frequent reasons cited for dosing mistakes stem from the need to take several medications per day, multiple doses of the same medication per day, frequently running out of medications, and costs. Non-adherence can cause a number of health related problems that are preventable with proper medication management.
Unfortunately, the patients who need medications to be given on time and in the right amount are the ones most susceptible to making mistakes. Fortunately, there are a number of solutions on the market that can help improve one's ability to stick to a prescribed routine. Products range from simple pill boxes that are compartmentalized by day or time to sophisticated software programs that operate on cell phones and connect to the Internet, the pharmacy and or your physician. Here are some common types of medication reminder systems available today.
Pill Box Organizers
Designed to help reduce confusion about what day of the week it is and what pills to take at what time, simple plastic pill organizers are inexpensive and very useful. Because some medications are not to be taken daily, some rely on the date instead of the day. The date is displayed on each "pill cavity." Some come with an audible alert message, beeping when the time and date to take the dose has been reached. Each morning, the user moves the correct set of pills to the front of the box. Once pills are taken, it's easy to see the next dose. Simple pill organizers can be found at any local pharmacy or drug store and can cost under $10.
Automated Pill Box Reminder Systems
More complicated medication reminder systems include many additional features. Automated systems organize pills in plastic boxes or bottles. Automated systems can monitor when the user removes the cap of the medication container, record the time and date into specialized software, alarm when doses are due or overdue and can send the compliance record to an Internet site for review by a medical provider or pharmacist. Some automated systems will send emails to family members if it appears the user is consistently missing important doses of medication or can call you on the phone to remind you if you fail to take medications when necessary. The most expensive systems can count pills and remind you to refill your prescription. These systems can cost from $30 for each automated pill bottle and require subscription to a website for the oversight option. Automated systems can be loaded for up to one month at a time.
Cell Phone and Electronic Watch Reminder Applications
Electronic devices such as cell phones, PDAs and electronic watches can help patients manage medications and also can be connected to web-based management oversight services. All these devices can be used alone or with the web-based service. They usually offer alarms, are easy to set up and can be set to snooze in case the user does not hear the alarm or cannot respond on the first alert. Some cell phone reminder applications are free and can be downloaded from the Internet. Some more sophisticated applications cost as little as $10 and require no subscription. Watches range in cost from $80 to $100.
Medication management is serious business. All types of pill organizers require careful filling by a family member or clinician each week. Changes in medications require someone to remove and replace those medications that are changed. So, pill organizers are a help to routine compliance but are not a replacement for medication oversight. Electronic reminder systems do not organize pills for dosing, so often are used in tandem with organizers to provide as much support as possible for a total mediation management system that works successfully.
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