The traditional method of taking pills out of the box is quite messy. This is the reason behind the invention of automated medication dispenser. Studies have shown that people using such devices ensure better adherence to the medication schedule compared to those who do not. There are highly negative impacts of missing a dose in case of people with severe illness. It can even lead to the death of an individual.
The essential aspect of the pill dispenser is that it reminds the near and dear ones about the use of the medication. Persons can get the alert in the form of an SMS, e-mail or call. But this also has a drawback. It can simply remind a person about taking the pill on time but not make him swallow it.
Importance of a medication dispenser:
Still, the number of persons who missed the doses are the least if they use the medication dispenser. Others generally forget to take them in time. DoPill is one such device. When used in the case of Schizophrenia patients, they stick to the routine very well. It demonstrated an increase in the antipsychotic adherence ratio (AAR).
When patients stick to their medication routine through the use of medication dispensers, they experience a lot of benefits. Besides adherence to the prescribed schedule, the number of visits to the office of the physician reduces. Also, there is a remarkable decrease in the number of admission or readmission of the patients in the hospital.
The patients’ critical condition comes under control as he/ she sticks to the prescribed dosage and schedule. The symptoms of his illness gradually get reduce which provides a lot of relief. The automatic medication dispenser is a boon for those who generally failed to maintain safe practices while taking the medication.
If we come to actual numbers, researchers demonstrated that the medication dispenser could cause adherence of only 50%. For the people who are 60 years old or more, the percentage varies from 26%-59%. But they incorrectly took one-half of the medications.
Unreliable traditional ways of measuring adherence rates:
The researchers are of the opinion that the traditional ways to access the adherence to medicines are quite unreliable. It is because the patient and the caregiver report this themselves manually. But if this is replaced with the newer method of adhering to the medication, it will increase the reliability of the data. Also, adherence to the intake of medicine will increase.
The best thing that one can do for their loved ones is to avoid completely relying on a single method to enhance the adherence rates to medication. This is highly essential in case of those people who are suffering from serious health conditions and can’t afford to miss even a single dose.
Suitability of the medication dispenser to certain people only:
Another study shows certain other facts related to the device, i.e the device is not suitable for everyone. It can happen that certain people, especially the elder ones can become irritated on hearing the alarms. Besides this, such non-portable devices generally involve a monthly charge.
Studies show that a certain group of people find the medication dispensers more effective. These are those people who had already faced the struggle to remember the timing and the type of medicine to take. People really face the problem when there are a number of pills prescribed for them. Such people find the pill dispensers the most effective. This is because they feel the ease which it brings to their life as they do not have to remember anything else.
Cost is another factor that limits the usage of such devices. But if we consider the advantages it offers and the medical expenses it eliminates, it will be a good investment. So, you should definitely buy this for your near and dear ones. It will keep them safe even when you are away from them.
Further enhancement in the deisgn of medication dispensers:
Manufacturers still try to enhance the design of such devices as they are not portable. Some need a connection with the landline phones in order to provide monitoring alerts from the device. The wireless devices such as smartphones and Bluetooth technology play a vital role in ensuring the portability of the sensors.
