We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Smart Pill Bottle Fights Prescription Drug Abuse

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 23 May 2019
Print article
Image: Paper-based electronics detect pillbox tampering (Photo courtesy of KAUST).
Image: Paper-based electronics detect pillbox tampering (Photo courtesy of KAUST).
An advanced pill bottle that incorporates novel sensor technology sends wireless alerts when it detects tampering, overdose, or unsafe storage conditions.

Under development at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST; Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), the new pill bottle is based on a flexible sensor made of an anisotropic conductive tape that coats the bottle, acting as a touch sensor. Fabricated of silver particles sandwiched between two layers of adhesive copper tape, the material is nonconductive in its normal state; but when pressed by a finger, the double-layered tape creates an electrical bond that sends a signal to an external reader warning that someone is attempting to break into the bottle.

The conductive tape could be used on its own, or as part of a modular sensor system. For example, the researchers also incorporated a three-dimensional (3D) printed lid that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to count the number of pills dispensed, and flexible, low-cost paper-based humidity and temperature sensors taped to the underside of the bottle. If the inside of the pill bottle becomes dangerously moist, or the temperature is elevated beyond the recommended level, a control module analyzes the signals and delivers an SMS warning via Bluetooth. The study was published on April 9, 2019, in Flexible and Printed Electronics.

“Our integration strategy gives the flexibility to develop customized versions of the system, depending on the requirements for different applications, ranging from ambient sensors to monitor the environment inside the container to security sensors that can detect any kind of mishandling with the prescription container,” said senior author professor of electrical engineering Muhammad Hussain, PhD. “The add-on system is easy to install or remove, enabling an easy implementation for practical use that will ultimately mitigate drug overuse.”

Estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland) indicate that only about 50% of patients in developed countries follow treatment recommendations. Low rates of adherence for asthma, diabetes, and hypertension are thought to contribute substantially to the human and economic burden of those conditions. Major barriers to compliance include the complexity of modern medication regimens, poor "health literacy" and lack of comprehension of treatment benefits, undiscussed side effects, the cost of prescription medicine, and poor communication or lack of trust between patient and health-care provider.

Related Links:
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
World Health Organization

Gold Member
Solid State Kv/Dose Multi-Sensor
AGMS-DM+
Gold Member
POC Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile Prime Plus
Silver Member
Compact 14-Day Uninterrupted Holter ECG
NR-314P
New
Self-Driving Mobile C-arm
CIARTIC Move

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: The permeable wearable electronics developed for long-term biosignal monitoring (Photo courtesy of CityUHK)

Super Permeable Wearable Electronics Enable Long-Term Biosignal Monitoring

Wearable electronics have become integral to enhancing health and fitness by offering continuous tracking of physiological signals over extended periods. This monitoring is crucial for understanding an... Read more

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: NTT and Olympus have begun the world\'s first joint demonstration experiment of a cloud endoscopy system (Photo courtesy of Olympus)

Cloud Endoscopy System Enables Real-Time Image Processing on the Cloud

Endoscopes, which are flexible tubes inserted into the body's natural openings for internal examination and biopsy collection, are becoming increasingly vital in medical diagnostics. Their minimal invasiveness... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The PATHFAST hs-cTnI-II high-sensitivity troponin assay has been developed for the PATHFAST Biomarker Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Polymedco)

POC Myocardial Infarction Test Delivers Results in 17 Minutes

Chest pain is the second leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits by adults in the United States, generating over 7 million visits annually. In the event of a suspected heart attack, physicians... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.