The development of a novel complex medication adherence and monitoring technology

Abstract

Purpose: The State of Ohio has initiated a number of programs to support collaborations between Ohio universities and Ohio companies. Under the umbrella of the Ohio Third Frontier Program (OTF) 1, block grants have been made to institutions to support incubators and other similar services, as well as focused loan and grant programs administered by the OTF itself. One such program is the Technology Validation and Start-up program. This program requires University-developed technologies to be validated in collaboration with an industry partner and operates in two phases. The first phase is for feasibility testing and the second phase is to support demonstration and commercialization. iRxReminder LLC, an Ohiobased start-up, developed a smartphone-based data gathering system consisting of a cloudbased control center and an app. The iRxReminder app supports complex medication schedules, is customizable to track symptoms, and can present patient education podcasts. Kent State University utilized the system for a study of heart failure patients. During the study, limitations in confirmation of medication dispensing were found to obscure the results of the study. Jointly, a medication dispensing and tracking system was designed that would interoperate with the iRxReminder system. A Phase I application for the Technology Validation and Start-up program was filed with OTF and awarded. Subsequently, a joint patent was filed, a prototype was completed, and a human factors test was conducted. Method: Structured interviews were conducted with 16 heart failure patients selected from a pool of hospital patients who indicated that they would participate in the research. The participants varied in age from 54 to 87 years with an average age of 68 years. Participants reported taking between 4 and 36 medications and supplements per day with an average of 12 medications. Results: The iLidRx system was explained to the participants, and then participants were asked about specific aspects and how useful these would be to the participants in supporting their medication regimen. Participants rated on a seven-point scale that the system and the use of a green LED on the top of the pod were very clear in indicating what medications to take and when to take them (6.5 out of 7.0). The participants also indicated that the alerts on the smartphone were very useful (6.5 out of 7.0), and those participants who were interested in monitoring (25%) indicated that this was very useful as well (6.7 out of 7.0). Following the success of Phase I, a Phase II project was designed to apply the complete system, control center, app, and medication dispensing system, called the iLidRx (Figure 1), to aid the recovery of patients following hematopoietic stem cell transplant therapy, commonly known as bone marrow transplant. Another OTF-supported entity, the Great Lakes Innovation Development Enterprise Innovation Fund, has awarded a grant to support a pilot (http://www.innovationfundneohio.com). Additional support has been sought from the Technology Validation program.