Medication Adherence Device

posted on 07/28/2011

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Motivation enhancing medication adherence device for improving medical outcomes and drug sales

A pill box connected to an LCD screen that uses "compassion technology" in which the well being of another is affected by the patient's adherence to their medication schedule.

Only 50% of the 90 million people with chronic diseases in the U.S. take their meds as prescribed per the CDC. Medication non-adherence leads to preventable illnesses, permanent disabilities, even death, costing the U.S. over $100 billion a year in hospital costs. Current products fail to address the essential problem of non-adherence motivation.  They simply try to coerce patients into compliance using unpleasant alarms or intrusive monitoring.  Thanks to the researchers at George Washington University, they are the first to have developed a patent-pending medication adherence device that is based on research in the fields of neuroeconomics & social neuroscience that directly target the neural systems associated with motivation.  It has been proven that the strongest motivational circuits in the brain are triggered by social interaction. Consequences that help or harm another person are more motivating than those that affect only ourselves. Unlike will power, which as an effect that diminishes over time, the effect of the operant conditioning model increases over time which means success.This technology consists of a pill box connected to an LCD video screen that displays photos and/or video of a reactive individual (a child, grandchild, customized avatar or virtual pet).  The lids have switches that detect when they are opened; therefore displaying happiness in the face of the reactive individual.  On days of non-adherence, the facial features will reflect sadness & distress until adherence is re-established.  One could even use the image of an impoverished child who receives support based on patient adherence.  When the device is obtained, a donation can be made to a charity that supports such children. On days of adherence, a donation is made & the child smiles otherwise the donation is lost & the expression of the child would reflect sadness.The impact of this technology is far reaching. It could save $47 billion of excess hospitalization charges, save pharmaceutical companies $30 billion in currently lost sales due to medication non-compliance, as well as save thousands of lives of those living with chronic disease.  Two groups that might be particularly responsive to this device, children & elderly due to the interactive feature.