Poor compliance to medication regimens and the resulting ineffectiveness of treatment are major concerns in drug studies and in selfadministration of prescribed medication. ATA Corporation develops and markets devices that monitor compliance and improve compliance through reminding and guiding functions.Improvement of poor compliance is particularly important in the treatment of glaucoma. It is proposed to establish the feasibility of an inexpensive device for reminding, recording, and dispensing small, measured amounts of liquid medication, such as ophthalmic solutions used in the treatment of glaucoma. This device will ultimately consist of a container with a miniaturized recording/reminding unit. Medication is contained in a disposable bladder and pump tube that is inserted into the container. The bladder may be filled by a pharmacist or prepackaged by a pharmaceutical company.The electronic recording device will record the date and time of dispensing. These data can be extracted later by coupling to a micro-computer interpreter. A prescription may be loaded into the device for reminding the patient, who can recall data on the last time of use, when to take medication, and receive assistance in following the regimen. Compliance will be improved due to the ease in using this dispenser and the monitoring/reminding functions.National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
