Abstract:

PerHeart which stands for “Personalized ICT solution to reduce re-hospitalization rates in heart failure elderly patients suffering from comorbidities” is a transnational project which aims to educate and support heart failure patients in self-managing their disease and in adhering to therapy and lifestyle changes while providing real-time personalized feedback for both patients and caregivers. In this respect, we considered poor medication compliance which can have devastating effects on a patient, including an increased risk of morbidity and death. It also inflicts huge costs for the healthcare systems worldwide and is, not surprisingly, denoted as "the most ignored nationwide epidemic".

Not missing a dose and not taking the proper medication becomes increasingly difficult for older adults and patients dealing with multiple chronic conditions. According to the World Health Organization, adherence among chronic illness patients in wealthy nations is below 50%.However, studies have revealed that patients are generally in favor of smart pillboxes that remind them to take their medication and prevent non-adherence to treatment. Moreover, a study based on 344 adults above 40 years of age revealed that the more serious the health condition is, the more willing are patients to accept smart devices and apps that help them to cope with their condition [1].

In this context, the international consortium of the PerHeart project has engaged in the design of a smart pillbox as part of the e-health platform developed for heart failure elderly patients suffering from comorbidities. We present here the smart pillbox design and evaluate the acceptance of the PerHeart pillbox with 30 users from the consortium countries. A questionnaire composed of closed and open questions has been administered to older adults above 60 years of age. Our aim is two-fold. On one hand, for developers to understand and learn about the barriers preventing older adults in using smart pillboxes in order to increase their medication adherence. On the other hand, we aim to implement an inclusive design approach that can help to bridge the digital divide and increase acceptance rate of smart devices among older adults.

References:
[1] E. P. Hang Choi, A pilot study to evaluate the acceptability of using a smart pillbox to enhance medication adherence among primary care patients, 2019, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(20), 3964.

Keywords:

Inclusive design, smart pillbox, co-morbidities, questionnaire, transnational project.