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It is no secret that the medical community has a problem with non-adherence to medication. The issue drives health outcomes down, forces cost up, and has been well documented over the last few decades (1). How to deal with the issue, however, is less clear cut. Many current measures are imperfect, biased, and inaccurate, and the huge variety of barriers to compliance rule out a one size fits all solution.
A new generation of connected smart packaging is offering healthcare providers and researchers with the ability to take an informed, patient-centred approach, and overcome the adherence puzzle once and for all.
Avoidable Mortality and Morbidity
Prescription drugs can offer life-changing results, but they only work if people take them as prescribed. That is not always easy, especially for people with long-term conditions who require regular, ongoing treatment to prevent disease progression or complications. The consequences can be dire. A study of more than 65,000 people with Type 2 diabetes, for example, found poor medication adherence in the two years after diagnosis was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In fact, it raised the mortality rate by 45%, and the incidence of CVD by 41% (2).
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