The New England Journal of Medicine describes all known attempts to improve patient compliance, prior to MedicaSafe, as “complex,” “labor-intensive,” and generally ineffective (NEJM 2005).
Chronic Treatments, Poor Adherence... a Major Problem
Various studies have documented that patients commonly exhibit poor adherence to prescribed medication regimens, especially patients facing chronic treatments. A 2005 NEJM review by Osterberg and Blaschke defined medication adherence as "the extent to which patients take medications as prescribed by their healthcare providers", and noted that 33% to 69% of all medication-related hospitalizations are due to poor medication adherence, costing approximately $100 billion per year.
In clinical settings, proper adherence can be important for the management of pain, psychiatric conditions, hypertension, HIV, etc. Adherence can also be relevant during clinical trials, as lack of adherence can compromise results and lead to false-negative conclusions about a promising drug.
And Also Important: A Need for Abuse Control
While poor adherence is often associated with patient's unwillingness to take medication, the converse problem, excessive use of prescription medication, is also of growing concern. Abuse of prescription opioids is a major problem among patients of all ages. Meanwhile other medications, such as stimulants, are also persistently abused. MedicaSafe technology addresses abuse concerns by controlling access to medication and curbing abusive behavior.
6 Million Americans Misuse Drugs
MedicaSafe solutions address the needs of both commercial clinical use and clinical trials by monitoring and controlling a patient's usage of a prescribed medication.
