MD & PATIENT ACCEPTANCE OF MICROPROCESSOR DRUG DISPENSER

THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE IS TO COMPLETE DEVELOPMENT OF A MICROPROCESSOR-CONTROLLED MEDICATION DISPENSER THAT EFFECTIVELY ADDRESSES THE PROBLEM OF PATIENT COMPLIANCE. THIS TECHNOLOGY OFFERS THREE IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS FOR ADDRESSING NONCOMPLIANCE: (1) IT LIMITS PATIENT ACCESS TO MEDICATION ACCORDING TO A PRESCRIBED DOSING REGIMEN; (2) IT AUDIBLY AND VISUALLY REMINDS PATIENTS WHEN MEDICATION IS DUE OR PAST DUE; AND (3) IT MONITORS PATIENTS' DISPENSINGHABITS TO ALLOW PHYSICIANS AND PHARMACISTS TO IDENTIFY AND COUNSEL PATIENTS WITH POOR COMPLIANCE HABITS. PHASE I WILL TEST PRELIMINARY ACCEPTANCE OF THIS TECHNOLOGY BY INTERNAL MEDICINE PATIENTS AND THEIR PHYSICIANS. PHASE II WILL TEST PATIENT AND PHYSICIAN ACCEPTANCE AND ITS UTILITY IN A CLINICAL SETTING FOLLOWING MODIFICATIONS BASED ON RESULTS OF THE PHASE I STUDY. PHASE II WILL ENCOMPASS ADDITIONAL CLINICAL SITES AND LARGER NUMBERS OF PATIENTS. SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS FOR MICROPROCESSOR-CONTROLLED MEDICATION DISPENSING (E.G., ELDERLY PATIENTS TAKING MULTIPLE MEDICATIONS, ASTHMATICS, AND HYPERTENSIVES) WILL ALSO BE ADDRESSED.