Posted on: September 17, 2019 Posted by: Aaron_George Comments: 0

Annals of Internal Medicine published a review a few years ago stating that 50% of prescribed medications for chronic illnesses are not taken as directed. This ‘epidemic’ affects more Americans than any disease. The sad truth about this is that the affected people are the only ones who can prevent it.

The review further states that nonadherence to prescriptions causes at least 10% of hospitalizations and about 125,000 deaths per year. What a loss! Not to mention costing the American health care system over $100 billion. Most of these unnecessary hospitalizations and deaths can be easily prevented by using a pill dispenser.

It’s not uncommon for patients or caregivers to miss the right timing for their prescriptions. More so if the patient is chronically ill. For example, people with dementia, Alzheimer, heart disease, and others. They likely have several different types of medication to be taken at several intervals throughout the day. This makes it difficult to keep track of the prescription timing. Also, some of these illnesses cause memory loss and confusion.

What is a Pill Dispenser and How Does it Work?

This dispenser is a gadget that releases the correct number of pills at the exact time the patient should take them. Anyone on medication can use it to keep track of their prescriptions. However, it is especially helpful to the elderly and the chronically ill.

Some dispensers are more advanced than others. It depends on your preference and budget. The more traditional ones simply release the required pills (premeasured) at the right time. The other dispensers are designed with a more advanced technology. These are commonly called smart dispensers.

In case medication is released but not taken, this technology will detect it. It sounds an alarm that alerts patients and caregivers through their mobile phones of the fact that medication has not left the receiving chamber. After receiving the alert, as a patient, you can then take your medication. As a care giver, you can call your patient to remind them or go straight to them and find out what’s happening.

Bottom Line

Many patients with minor ailments end up being hospitalized. And then patients with chronic illnesses only get worse. Sadly, some of them do not survive. These events are all sad and unnecessary.

Many of these cases are as a result of nonadherence to recommended prescriptions. This is caused by several reasons including forgetting and confusion. As a patient and caregiver, the best way to avoid this epidemic is by using a pill dispenser.

Various types of dispensers are available on the market today. They can even be bought online with the click of a button. Your choice of dispenser will depend on your situation and specific need. With more patients and carers using this, not only will the number of hospitalizations reduce, several lives will be preserved.

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