News Briefs Archive

The Smart Technology that Might Boost Senior Patients’ Treatment Compliance

Dec. 4, 2019

Cutting-edge technology solutions are making it easier for doctors and health-care aids to monitor seniors’ compliance in taking their medication, according to reporting by Kim Overstreet in Healthcare Packaging.

There are many cutting-edge technology solutions that are emerging in the health-care market, and one of the most common applications for smart technology in health-care packaging is dosage tracking for medication, Overstreet writes.

Utilizing either radio frequency identification (RFID) or near field communication (NFC) technology, the author explains, dosage tracking-enabled health-care packaging can recognize when the package is opened, and a dose removed. The remaining number of doses can then be displayed on a simple digital screen included on the package, or through the use of a connected smart device, such as a phone or tablet.

Dosage counting and compliance can work in conjunction. Rather than simply reminding a patient of when to take medication, RFID- and NFC-capable smart packaging can be linked to a smart device or health-care provider’s network, allowing doctors to remotely monitor the compliance levels of their patients by building a historic data log of time and date taken, to analyze at a later time.

Additionally, writes Overstreet, the package can send real-time alerts to both a health-care provider and patient, informing them of missed doses – an important feature for seniors, who are often on more than one medication and may struggle with remembering what to take and when to take it.

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