Our use of connected technology helps us to monitor our diabetes patients’ medication adherence, and to better understand how medications are working by tracking their blood sugars, blood pressure and overall feelings of well-being. Once a patient is taking medicines on time and as prescribed, only then can we determine if they are on the right track. Indicators like blood sugars and general well-being can help pharmacists understand if a patient’s medications are working as they should and adjust them in real time, without waiting for a routine health check-up or test to find out they aren’t. Connected technologies help us do this and can result in better health outcomes.
Non-adherence or not taking medications as prescribed poses a challenge for patients, caregivers and health care providers because patients can experience more disease-related complications, poorer health outcomes, lower quality of life, and missed medication or dosing errors can lead to light-headedness or even falls. Research on the negative consequences of medication non-adherence reports that up to 55% of community-dwelling older adults (65+) taking multiple medications for their chronic diseases is non-adherent [9]. When people take medications as directed, medication routines and the conditions their medications are designed to treat stand a better chance of improving.
My blood sugars are in good shape, and it's primarily because I'm taking my meds when I'm supposed to take them.
Custom Health T2 diabetes patient
98%
Medication adherence
1 in 2 adults
Undiagnosed living with diabetes
1 in 3
Canadians living with diabetes
The key to better diabetes management is making technology work seamlessly to provide data to a clinical team that can act on the information in real-time. When our home-hub medication dispensers were provided to people with type-2 diabetes to help them manage their medications, the stress of not knowing or guessing if someone had taken their medication on time or at the right dose – for both the individual and the caregiver, was alleviated. Patients who take their medication on time and as prescribed feel better and do better.
Watch how here.
Patients with type 2 diabetes Bluetooth connected devices like glucose monitors with our program become more aware of the relationship between how they are feeling and their medication adherence. These technologies can also provide peace of mind for caregivers and better track blood sugar levels, not to mention create better consistency and improvement in medication-taking behaviour and contribute to overall well-being. In the long term, lower blood sugars can help to avoid organ damage related to poorly managed diabetes including kidney damage, arterial damage or retinal damage. Our digital health tools make it easy to manage and monitor medications even for complex drug routines and multiple conditions.