‘Meds Companion’ aims to improve patient health and cut healthcare costs

John Eaglesham, CEO, ADI

The Advanced Digital Institute (ADI) has launched Meds Companion, a product designed to help patients to take their medication on time and develop an effective routine.

Meds Companion is currently being trialled with the UK’s Bradford City and Bradford District Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), with a view to it launching nationally next year.

It has been reported by the UK’s National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) that 30-50% of patients may not be taking their prescribed medications correctly. By tackling the issue of Medicines Adherence, Meds Companion will contribute to the prevention of patients being admitted into acute services, and it will improve the health outcome for many patients; in turn reducing the cost to health services.

Patients will be able to download the Meds Companion App onto their smart phone, so they can record when they have taken their medicine, or alternatively use the Meds Companion smart device at home, where they press a button to confirm they have taken their medication.

The Meds Companion App and smart device is connected to the patient’s healthcare provider, who is able to track whether the patient has taken the medicine. If the medication hasn’t been taken, the patient automatically gets alerted through the device or a text message on their smart phone to remind them; and Meds Companion also alerts the healthcare professional to take immediate action, if necessary.

ADI was awarded a contract by SBRI Healthcare (the Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare) to develop Meds Companion, and it has partnered with Arqiva to manage the patient’s data through its SIGFOX IoT (Internet of Things) network. Lloyds Pharmacy Clinical Contact Centre is also partnering with ADI to roll the product out to patients.

John Eaglesham, CEO of ADI, explained: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this SBRI Healthcare contract for Meds Companion. The combination of the latest research from Leeds University into the psychology of health behaviours and Arqiva’s new SIGFOX IoT (Internet of Things) smart network means Meds Companion is more robust, convenient, and effective than previous attempts to manage Medicines Adherence proficiently through technology. We are very pleased to be working with Bradford City and Bradford District CCGs, and with Lloyds Pharmacy Clinical Contact Centre, to make this service available to help support people on long-term medications.”

Graham Doe, a manager at Arqiva
Graham Doe, a manager at Arqiva

Graham Doe, a manager at Arqiva, commented: “Meds Companion is a fantastic example of how our new low-cost SIGFOX IoT (Internet of Things) network can help companies like ADI, develop innovative smart technologies, to not only help to better manage people’s medication regime, but also save costs on scarce resources, like our health services. By being able to provide a clear data trail, healthcare providers and councils will be able to analyse this intelligence to adapt their public services to improve people’s lives.”

Laura Southall, Service Development manager for patient adherence and support at Lloyds Pharmacy, said: “As part of our ongoing strategy to support patients to get the most from their medicines, we are delighted to be working in conjunction with ADI and Leeds University to help develop and deliver this innovative new ‘smart’ way of providing patient support out of our clinical contact centre.  Using the latest developments in technology to support regime ‘execution’ through smart learnings and event based cues, this really is an exciting development in the field of adherence.”

Comment on this article below or via Twitter:  @M2MNow OR @jcm2m

RECENT ARTICLES

Enhance EV charging performance with cellular connectivity

Posted on: March 28, 2024

Electric vehicles (EVs) are steadily growing their market share at the expense of internal combustion engine vehicles. The growth is fuelled by several factors. Perhaps most importantly, prices for EVs have started to drop as competition in the industry is intensifying. New players and models are emerging, prompting several established EV makers to lower their

Read more

Panasonic and Jasmy unveil Web3 Platform for IoT data control

Posted on: March 28, 2024

Panasonic has joined forces with Jasmy (JASMY) blockchain to introduce a Web3 platform that will facilitate the connection of personal data on the Internet of Things (IoT). The collaboration between the Japanese-based blockchain and Panasonic Advanced Technology was initiated in February, but the official announcement was made on March 26.

Read more
FEATURED IoT STORIES

What is IoT? A Beginner’s Guide

Posted on: April 5, 2023

What is IoT? IoT, or the Internet of Things, refers to the connection of everyday objects, or “things,” to the internet, allowing them to collect, transmit, and share data. This interconnected network of devices transforms previously “dumb” objects, such as toasters or security cameras, into smart devices that can interact with each other and their

Read more

The IoT Adoption Boom – Everything You Need to Know

Posted on: September 28, 2022

In an age when we seem to go through technology boom after technology boom, it’s hard to imagine one sticking out. However, IoT adoption, or the Internet of Things adoption, is leading the charge to dominate the next decade’s discussion around business IT. Below, we’ll discuss the current boom, what’s driving it, where it’s going,

Read more

9 IoT applications that will change everything

Posted on: September 1, 2021

Whether you are a future-minded CEO, tech-driven CEO or IT leader, you’ve come across the term IoT before. It’s often used alongside superlatives regarding how it will revolutionize the way you work, play, and live. But is it just another buzzword, or is it the as-promised technological holy grail? The truth is that Internet of

Read more

Which IoT Platform 2021? IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide

Posted on: August 30, 2021

There are several different parts in a complete IoT solution, all of which must work together to get the result needed, write IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide – Which IoT Platform 2021? authors Robin Duke-Woolley, the CEO and Bill Ingle, a senior analyst, at Beecham Research. Figure 1 shows these parts and, although not all

Read more

CAT-M1 vs NB-IoT – examining the real differences

Posted on: June 21, 2021

As industry players look to provide the next generation of IoT connectivity, two different standards have emerged under release 13 of 3GPP – CAT-M1 and NB-IoT.

Read more

IoT and home automation: What does the future hold?

Posted on: June 10, 2020

Once a dream, home automation using iot is slowly but steadily becoming a part of daily lives around the world. In fact, it is believed that the global market for smart home automation will reach $40 billion by 2020.

Read more

5 challenges still facing the Internet of Things

Posted on: June 3, 2020

The Internet of Things (IoT) has quickly become a huge part of how people live, communicate and do business. All around the world, web-enabled devices are turning our world into a more switched-on place to live.

Read more