Medication non-compliance is one of the greatest problems associated with maintaining the health of the elderly. Studies state that up to 23% nursing home and 10% of hospital admissions of the elderly are due to poor medication compliance. Current attempts to electronically augmented compliance have not been well accented due to the following problems: I) high cost $30-$75; 2) complicated programming and use (too many options and displays); 3) units have been bulky; 4) units require pill reloading at home; 5) electronics units do not come in familiar package programmed and issued by the pharmacist. We will research an innovative, yet inexpensive, system to promote a high degree of medication compliance through electronic audio/visual cues. This system solves the aforementioned problems by being 1) low priced ($9.99 suggested retail), 2) simple to use (no user operable controls except removing the cap), 3) no bigger than a standard pill container, 4) uses the existing pill vial (requires no reloading), and 5) is programmed by the pharmacist and issued with the medication.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research: The proposed system has commercial application as an inexpensive device sold by pharmacists which will automatically remind elderly users when to take medication, how much to take, and discourage them from taking medication at the wrong time. The device is intended to be prescribed by doctors and is inexpensive enough to be affordable by almost anyone. The device has the potential to save hundreds of millions of dollars in institutionalizations caused by poor compliance.National Institute on Aging (NIA)
