Digital Medication Management: Manage Your Meds at Home With Technology

If you are someone who must take a variety of medications, keeping up with them can be a daunting task. This is especially true for older individuals who already have difficulty remembering important things or must take different medications at different times of the day on varying days of the week. It is a lot to remember, and improperly managing medications, especially for serious conditions, can have dire consequences. Thankfully, in the modern age of smartphones and digital devices, managing important reminders of any kind, including medications, is easier than attempting to do so without them. There are entire services and apps dedicated to digitally managing your medications from the comfort of your own home.

Importance of Medication Management

If you suffer from chronic conditions or must take medication to maintain your health, failure to follow your doctor’s instructions about the timing and dosage of medications can result in serious health problems. In some cases, serious illness and fatalities result from missed medications or the wrong dose taken at the wrong time. If this leads to hospitalization, it can result in costly expenses and a negative impact on quality of life.

Unfortunately, some medication schedules can be very confusing, especially for older individuals who have trouble with executive functioning, memory, and keeping up with specific details. People frequently lose or forget the printouts they receive from the doctor's office, forget newly prescribed medications in their daily routine, and forget about changes as a result of routine changes or vacations. It is also important to take the proper dose.

A digital system such as an automated pill sorter and dispenser, as well as various smartphone apps or reminders on an Amazon Alexa device, can go a long way toward helping mitigate these problems.

The Basics of Digital Medication Management

Before considering any type of medication management system, digital or otherwise, it is important to first understand the basics of medication management before choosing a system that is right for you. Any medication management system should be capable of performing the following functions:

• Present the correct dose of medication at the correct time.

• Indicate whether you've already taken the medication.

• Give alerts and reminders that a dose is coming up.

• The system should be pre-set to eliminate the need for daily maintenance by the patient.

• Digital systems should integrate with other apps, such as Apple Health and MyChart, or other health management and communication apps. 

In addition to these basic functions, the patient should make a list, within the digital app if available, of current medications and dosages, along with the times they should be taken. Include any instructions from the doctor, as well as the purpose of the medication. Be sure to note any serious side effects that might occur.

Useful Tools for Medication Management

In the past, patients relied on pill organizers of varying complexity to manage medication regimens. However, here are some useful digital options for managing your medications.

1. MedMinder is a digital pill dispenser with a display screen that, in addition to medication information and pill dispensing, can also display the weather and photos. The system allows users to record verbal messages as reminders to take medications and also connects patients with medical alert professionals if needed. It comes with an app to help monitor the system.

2. Telehealth and subscription reminder services allow medical professionals to connect with patients over smart devices to remind them to take medications and answer questions about medications.

3. The Pillsy Smart Cap is a device that affixes to the pill bottle and tracks its opening status. Additionally, it provides alerts and visual timers to remind users when to take their next dose.

4. The Carezone smartphone app allows you to take pictures of your medication bottles so that you always have information on your medications in hand, rather than bringing a bag of physical bottles to doctor appointments or the ER. The app will remind you when it's time to take a medication, and it also has features that allow patients to connect with their local pharmacy for refills and have medications delivered.

5. The Medisapp app creates a family calendar with medication reminders for multiple users. It will issue warnings when medications should not be taken together due to interactions and update you when it is time to get a refill on a medication that is running low. Similar apps include Medisdafe, and MyMedSchedule Plus.

Written by Taylor McKnight, Author for Regional Psychiatry