Improve treatment adherence to TB patients with a smart pill jar

Tuberculosis is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide. And that while the disease can be cured with effective medication. However, patients must take this medication very precisely and in a disciplined manner – exactly at the right times. There are still many patients who struggle to maintain strict medication. The pilot must demonstrate with the Pill Connect system whether the smart pill jar can improve the compliance of TB patients.

Smart pill jar

Waning adherence not only increases the risk of patient death, but also the spread of drug-resistant TB to others. The smart pill jar, or Pill Connect, can help prevent these problems. When a patient needs to take his medication, he receives a notification via the system on his smartphone.

When the patient confirms the notification, the medication (pill or tablet) is automatically removed from the smart pill jar. At that moment, the practitioner will receive a notification that the medication has been dispensed. Previous tests have shown that the smart pill jar is very robust and easy to use.

If a patient does not confirm the report, the practitioner can take immediate action. For example, by calling (video) the patient. Before the advent of Pill Connect, practitioners could only monitor the adherence of TB patients by watching at the bedside or by video calling. That was not only time-consuming, but also not watertight. The Pill Connect system also provides a dashboard for practitioners. Thereafter, the course of adherence to all patients can be followed.

Time for adherence innovation

“We have been dependent on traditional ways of monitoring adherence for far too long. This was not only cumbersome for us, but also very paternalistic for patients. That is why innovation to provide more patient-oriented care is urgently required ”, says TB lung specialist Onno Akkerman. The pilot with twelve patients in the UMCG Beatrixoord should show whether the Pill Connect system can offer efficient remote monitoring of therapy adherence. Whether a smart pill jar like Pill Connect will ultimately lead to a decrease in the spread of tuberculosis and a reduction in healthcare costs and time, the future will have to tell.

Tests have shown that the Pill Connect system’s smart pill jar is very robust and easy to use.

Director Job van Boven of the UMCG Medication Adherence Expertise Center is enthusiastic about the smart pill jar. “The Pill Connect System is a really smart solution that allows patients to increase their independence and potentially improve TB outcomes around the world. The ability to remotely monitor whether patients are taking the medication is even more relevant during the current COVID-19 pandemic. We are therefore very much looking forward to the results of this exciting research. ”

At the beginning of this year, Radboudumc introduced a similar one innovation for improving adherence to patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. They can use the Sensematic, a smart pill box that sends an SMS to the patient’s phone when they receive a

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