Home Use Medication Organizer to Improve Patient Adherence to Medication Regimens

Abstract The economic and health impact of medication nonadherence is staggeringNot taking medication places patients at atimes increased risk of hospitalizationre hospitalizationor premature deathPatients with diabetes are at atimes increased risk of hospitalizationNot surprisingmore thanpercent of nursing home admissions are directly linked to medication non adherenceThe rate of nonadherence is expected to increase as the burden of chronic disease increasesMedicare patients suffer disproportionately as they are challenged by multiple chronic conditionsmultiple medication prescriptionschanging medication regimenslimited dexterityand limitedfixed monthly incomeThe primary problem is that once patients go into their homesCaregivers and or Care Managersoften a RN provided by the patient s insurance companydo not know when a medication adherence problem developsRealizing the severity of this problemseveral companies have attempted to develop home based solutions however based on our research and field experience we believe these solutions are overly complex and too costlyWe believe that our experience with patients in a care management model gives us a tremendous advantageour registered nurseRNco founder of Green Apple Technologies has had overtelephonic care management conversations with Medicare Advantage patients who have chronic conditionsThe interactions between care manager and patient often focus on trying to solve the burden of medication non adherence in the homeWith the needs of these patients in mindGreen Apple Technologies was formed into work on a practical solutionTo date we have developed a primitive proof ofconcept prototype to validate our medication imaging software in abin smart medication organizerE M E TEvery Med Every TimeWe are seeking Phase I funding to obtain the input of our Medicare test population by conducting two UserCentered design meetingsAfter analysis of the feedback received in the first meetingwe will re design our device to enhance usabilityWe will then obtain final input from the users at meeting twoAfter researching the current solutions on the marketwe believe that this critical user input step has been missedWe are submitting this SBIR Phase I proposal to achieve two specific aimsAimTo engage our test population to assist in the design of a medication adherence device that is highly usable as defined by the Usability of Devices scaleAimMeasure and estimate the accuracy of our medication imaging system to accurately detect changes in medication routine Project Narrative The development of the E M E Tmedication organizer has the potential to significantly improve the health of its users by reducing the unnecessary health and financial burdens associated with medication non adherence in the homeMedication adherence has been proven to decrease costincrease quality of life and decrease mortalityparticularly in the chronic conditions population such as coronary artery diseaseCADdiabetesDMcongestive heart failureCHF