Medication Compliance Improved Through Use of Tracking Tools

rninformatics, DNP, RN · Mar 20, 2008

FROM iHealthBeat

March 20, 2008

Patients and caregivers increasingly are using drug tracking devices and Web sites to better comply with their medication regimens and reduce errors, USA Today reports.

The drug tracking systems can help patients boost their medication compliance, Ann Burns, vice president of professional affairs for the American Pharmacists Association, said. The devices also can help elderly patients continue to live in their own homes, according to experts.

However, the devices can be expensive, and insurers do not always cover the tools, USA Today reports.

The home health monitoring technology market is expected to reach $5 billion by 2010 and $34 billion by 2015, according to Forrester Research.

USA Today highlighted several products on the market:

Epocrates.com lets users download medical information onto PDAs and cell phones. The Web site targets physicians and pharmacists, but the number of nonmedical users has increased over the last few years, according to Epocrates CEO Kirk Loevner.

iGuard.org lets members download medical histories and receive personalized risk ratings about the medications they take. The Web site also notifies users when FDA warnings are released.

Med-eMonitor connects to a drug database through patients' phones lines and is programmed remotely via the Internet. The system reminds patients when to take medication, notifies them if doses are missed and alerts them to potentially dangerous medication interactions (Brophy Marcus, USA Today, 3/20).