IJERPH, Vol. 16, Pages 3964: A Pilot Study to Evaluate the Acceptability of Using a Smart Pillbox to Enhance Medication Adherence Among Primary Care Patients

IJERPH, Vol. 16, Pages 3964: A Pilot Study to Evaluate the Acceptability of Using a Smart Pillbox to Enhance Medication Adherence Among Primary Care Patients International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph16203964 Authors: Choi Smart pillboxes that remind patients to take medication may help avoid unintended non-adherence to medication regimens. To better understand the implementation potential of smart pillboxes among patients with chronic diseases, this study aimed to explore patients’ acceptability to use such devices and its associated factors. Five-hundred primary care patients aged 40 years or older were randomly recruited from a government-funded primary care clinic in Hong Kong. Patients were asked (i) if they needed to take medication daily, (ii) how many daily oral medications they needed to take on average, (iii) if they had ever missed a dose by accident, and (iv) if they were willing to use a smart pillbox for free to remind them to take medication. Out of the 344 participants included in the analysis who needed to take daily oral medication, 49.1% reported having previously missed a dose by accident, and 70.6% were willing to use a smart pillbox for free. A multiple logistic regression model found that male patients (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.59) and patients with hypertension (aOR: 0.56) were less likely to have previously missed a dose by accident. Patients who needed to take a greater number of d...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Brief Report Source Type: research