title: A smartphone-based medication self-management system with realtime medication monitoring.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most patients cannot remember their entire medication regimen and occasionally forget to take their medication.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the study was to design, develop, and demonstrate the feasibility of a new type of medication self-management system using smartphones with real-time medication monitoring.
  
  
  METHODS
  We designed and developed a smartphone-based medication self-management system (SMSS) based on interviews of 116 patients. The system offered patients two main functions by means of smartphones: (1) storage and provision of an accurate, portable medication history and medication-taking records of patients; and (2) provision of a reminder to take medication only when the patient has forgotten to take his/her medication. These functions were realized by two data input methods: (a) reading of prescription data represented in two-dimensional barcodes using the smartphone camera and getting the photographic images of the pills; and (b) real-time medication monitoring by novel user-friendly wireless pillboxes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Interviews suggested that a pocket-sized pillbox was demanded to support patient's medication-taking outside the home and pillboxes for home use should be adaptable to the different means of pillbox storage. In accordance with the result, we designed and developed SMSS. Ten patients participated in the feasibility study. In 17 out of 47 cases (36.2%), patients took their medication upon being presented with reminders by the system. Correct medication-taking occurrence was improved using this system.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SMSS is acceptable to patients and has the advantage of supporting ubiquitous medication self-management using a smartphone. We believe that the proposed system is feasible and provides an innovative solution to encourage medication self-management.
authors: Department of Medical Informatics and Economics, Division of Social Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo , Tokyo, Japan.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Hayakawa
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Uchimura
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Omae
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Waki
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Fujita
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Ohe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D040421:Cell Phone; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004356:Drug Storage; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D063731:Mobile Applications; D017010:Reminder Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D057566:Self Report; D013997:Time Factors; D059015:Wireless Technology
keywords: Self-management; eHealth systems; medication adherence; mobile phone; physiologic monitoring
references: J Psychiatr Res. 2007 Jan-Feb;41(1-2):97-118
references: 16360706
references: J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2010 Sep-Oct;17(5):493-501
references: 20819851
references: Patient Prefer Adherence. 2012;6:127-35
references: 22379363
references: BMJ. 2008 May 17;336(7653):1114-7
references: 18480115
references: Biomed Eng Online. 2011 Apr 05;10:24
references: 21466669
references: AIDS Care. 2000 Jun;12(3):255-66
references: 10928201
references: JAMA. 2002 Nov 20;288(19):2469-75
references: 12435261
references: Int J Med Inform. 2012 Apr;81(4):257-69
references: 22296762
references: J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2011 Jul-Aug;18(4):515-22
references: 21672914
references: Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2006;2006:6400-3
references: 17946369
references: Curr Opin Cardiol. 2011 Jul;26(4):279-87
references: 21597368
references: J Behav Med. 2012 Feb;35(1):47-62
references: 21487722
references: Lancet. 2011 Jul 23;378(9788):318
references: 21784268
references: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Apr 16;(2):CD000011
references: 18425859
references: Gerontologist. 2006 Oct;46(5):661-8
references: 17050757
references: Clin Ther. 2011 Jan;33(1):62-73
references: 21397775
references: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011 Sep 07;(9):CD005025
references: 21901694
references: BMJ. 2006 Jul 1;333(7557):15
references: 16790458
references: AIDS Behav. 2012 Feb;16(2):375-82
references: 21448728
references: Health Informatics J. 2009 Mar;15(1):17-25
references: 19218309
references: Annu Rev Med. 2012;63:479-92
references: 22053737
references: N Engl J Med. 2005 Aug 4;353(5):487-97
references: 16079372
references: Am Heart J. 2011 Sep;162(3):412-24
references: 21884856
references: Lancet. 2010 Nov 27;376(9755):1838-45
references: 21071074