Our vision on adherence
Estimates from the World Health Organization (2003) indicate that only about 50% of patients with chronic diseases living in developed countries follow treatment recommendations and are adherent.
The magnitude and impact of poor adherence in developing countries is assumed to be even higher given the limited health resources and difficulties in access to healthcare.
It has been estimated that there are 194,500 deaths a year in the EU due to miss-dose and non-adherence of prescribed medication. Non adherence is estimated to cost the European Union 125 billion Euro annually.
The factors responsible for non-adherence vary, but up to 60% of individuals identify forgetfulness as their primary explanation.
There are a lot of adherence assistant devices on the market. Most of them are simple alarm type devices. A recent study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that these simple reminder devices did not improve adherence.
An accompanying editorial said that improving medication adherence among patients will require a multi-faceted approach and that the devices may have been more effective if coupled with interventions to ensure consistent use or if targeted to individuals with an even higher risk of nonadherence.
The Sensemedic solution is a system that combines medication monitoring with Smart reminding interventions. Smart reminding means that patients will only receive a reminder when they actually forget to take their medication. Sensemedic Smart reminding is a system that has been proven to increase adherence and consistency.
It is our vision that Sensemedic monitoring solution with Smart reminding will be most effective if combined within partnering programs with healthcare professionals, pharmacists and pharmaceutical companies. We believe in combining the strengths of these partners in providing programs to give feedback on adherence, social support and to inform patients about their medication intake.