Automated Medication Dispensing and Monitoring

Following a medication regime can be difficult for anyone. The difficulty is compounded greatly for those suffering with memory loss and disorientation. And people in Assisted Living situations often have complex medication requirements. A number of products exist to address this problem. The most sophisticated include voice reminders, and a phone connection to alert family members and physicians if the medications are not removed from the dispenser.

Yet there is room for improvement.

Loading the medications into the devices can be a time consuming and even daunting task. There are no current systems to control this process to insure that the right medications are loaded in the right dosages.

The simple monitoring strategies are easily defeated by individuals who willfully or neglectfully remove the dosage from the dispenser but fail to ingest it.

Research is ongoing to address the following:

• Ideally, medications should be prepackaged by the pharmacy in the correct dosages, in a standard format that can be easily transferred by means of a tamper proof cartridge system into any dispensing device.
• There should be some automated means of monitoring actual ingestion. Possibilities include computer video monitoring, and automated urine analysis (perhaps incorporated in high tech toilets). The use of the Internet as an alternative or augmentation to phone systems should be considered as well.

CALI is exploring research opportunities with the leading medication dispensing device manufacturers:

CompuMed, Inc., of Meeteetse, Wyoming, USA
e-pill, LLC, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA
Medready, Inc., California, USA

As well as with other stakeholders, including:

• Organizations of people with disabilities
• Consumer groups, advocates and agencies
• Pharmaceutical and pharmacy companies
• Pharmacists
• Regulatory agencies