There are some key challenges that have continued to dominate the care industry in recent years, from how to deal with increased demand due to an ageing population, to increasing medication compliance and reducing costs. Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet to tackle all these problems. However, there are some solutions that can have an immediate impact and help to reduce the strain on the industry. One such option is connected pillboxes.
Patients are increasingly prescribed a high number of medications they need to take regularly, but ensuring that they are taking them can be a huge challenge. This is where connected pill boxes could prove to be a real life-saver for the care industry. These connected pill boxes are part of the ‘Internet of Things’; a physical device that is connected to the internet which can monitor and transmit data about whether medication is taken correctly or not. It does this by leveraging sensors which know whether the pill ‘door’ has been opened or not, and cross-referencing the timing of this with the set dosage as prescribed by a doctor. Given there is an epidemic of medication non-compliance in the NHS, causing unnecessary deaths and costing over ?500 million a year, it’s clear that solutions such as this could contribute to a care revolution alongside other ‘smart’ technologies. Is anybody home?
In an ideal world, each patient would be given their medication by a healthcare professional who can ensure it has been taken correctly. Unfortunately, this is far from the reality unless the patient is already in a residential care facility or receiving 24/7 care, therefore it isn’t financially viable to have that level of oversight for every patient. As a result, many patients don’t take their medication correctly, across Europe this medication non-compliance leads to 200,000 premature deaths a year. Connected pill boxes can fill this void in care. Connected pill boxes can tell whether they haven’t been opened and medication therefore not taken, then they can send automated reminders via a set number of phone calls and texts to the patient. These messages are designed with a clear call to action to ensure the medication is taken by the patient – once they have, the reminders are de-activated until the next set time that they are due to take more medicine. However, if these reminders go unanswered, or the pill box still hasn’t been opened after the reminders have been sent, the device can then escalate cases to a healthcare professional who can check on the patient directly. The result is that alongside better care there is also a dramatic decrease in wastage. Additionally, human intervention only happens if necessary, freeing up staff to devote more time to frontline care. It also leads to more successful care outcomes, with patients taking their medication as prescribed, thus allowing it to have the effect for which it was intended to deliver.
A smarter future for healthcare
Given the care industry is already under huge amounts of pressure, it makes for sober reading that an aging population is only going to lead to an increase in the number of people in care. It is estimated that 25% of the UK’s citizens will be over 65 by 2045, and this patient group is often taking a number of different medications at the same time, whilst frequently suffering from conditions which make it harder to manage their intake of them. Connected pill boxes are an example of a very real solution that should be embraced to help save time and money, allowing resources to be ploughed back into frontline care, where it is needed most. Beyond this, the industry should be looking at other digital solutions which can be harnessed to provide better care whilst also making further savings. Historically, the healthcare sector as a whole has been slow to pick-up new technologies, but given the increasing pressure on providers, they must act now to ensure they can stay viable in the long term.
