In what may be the first initiative of its kind for kids, the Children's Medical Center of Dallas is conducting a trial using small sensors inside of pills to ensure medication adherence, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The sensors, which are no larger than a grain of sand, link up with a patch worn outside of the body to signal when medication was taken. The patch documents the times medications were taken, as well as changes in vitals like heart rate or blood pressure, and activity patterns.
The patch wirelessly transmits the data to a web interface accessible at the hospital for providers, and to an iPad for use in the home. Should a patient miss a dose, or if the patch detects some other kind of emergency, it will trigger alerts both at home and in the hospital.
Thus far, the system has been primarily tested in adults who manage chronic conditions. But the parents of the child participating in the trail, who recently received a transplanted kidney, told Dallas Morning News they hope by familiarizing her with the technology at a young age, she'll be able to manage her own care sooner.
Dev Desai, MD, head of pediatric abdominal transplantation at Children's Medical Center in Dallas told Dallas Morning News poor medication adherence is one of the primary contributors to children losing a transplanted organ. Costs associated with poor medication adherence in healthcare are estimated to be upwards of $280 billion annually. The researchers say the wireless sensor-patch system could be one way to help reverse that problem.
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