Methods and Systems of Real-Time Medication Adherence Monitoring

Abstract

Systems and methods for monitoring medication usage and adherence to one or more patients. One or more of adherence to the prescribed medication, adherence to dose times, and absolute adherence may be monitored. One or more patient entities may gain access to this information to further monitor the adherence of one or more patients.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for monitoring medication adherence by a patient, the system comprising:
 a container comprising:
 an interior space to hold the medication; 
 one or more sensors configured to sense the medication within the interior space; 
 a container processing circuit configured to determine a medication amount within the interior space based on readings from the one or more sensors; 
 a wireless communication circuit configured to transmit the medication amount over a wireless communication network; 
 a monitoring server located remotely from the medicine container, the monitoring server comprising:
 a communication interface configured to receive the medication amount transmitted from the container through the wireless communication network; 
 a memory circuit configured to store at least one of: a prescribed medication dose for the patient; and dose time periods in which the patient is to take the prescribed medication dose; 
 a monitoring server processing circuit configured to monitor patient medication adherence by calculating at least one of a dose time adherence as whether the medication was removed from the interior space within one of the dose time periods, and a medication adherence of whether the amount of medication taken is equal to the prescribed medication dose. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to determine the amount of medication taken or added by the patient based on differences in medication amounts received from the container. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to determine a time when the medication was removed from or added to the interior space. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to calculate an absolute adherence over a time period that includes whether the taken medication was removed from the interior space within the dose time periods and whether the taken medication is equal to the prescribed medication dose. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the memory circuit stores contact information for a caregiver associated with the patient, and the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to send a message to the caregiver over the wireless communication network when the dose time adherence or the medication adherence have met predetermined levels. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to calculate the medication adherence over a plurality of the dose time periods. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to calculate the medication dose and dose time adherence over a plurality of the dose time periods. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more sensors are arranged within the body. 
     
     
         9 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit determines a count of remaining medication left within the interior space of the container by dividing one of a mass or volume of the remaining medication by one of a mass or volume of an individual dose of the medication. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein the monitoring server processing circuit automatically transmits a refill request when the amount of the medication remaining within the interior space reaches a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
         11 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is further configured to notify at least one of the patient and a patient entity of a negative patient medication adherence and to recheck the patient medication adherence within a predetermined time thereafter. 
     
     
         12 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the container processor calculates the taken medication for a liquid by dividing a change in volume in the medication in the interior space by a volume of a dose that is stored in a container memory circuit. 
     
     
         13 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein contact information of at least one of the patient and a caregiver entity is stored in the memory circuit, and the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to transmit a message over the wireless communication network using the contact information upon occurrence of a triggering event related to the patient. 
     
     
         14 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to create medication adherence data for a first display area and patient behavior data for a second display area, and to transmit the data for viewing on a remote electronic device. 
     
     
         15 . A system for monitoring medication adherence by a patient, the system comprising:
 a container comprising:
 an interior space to hold the medication; 
 one or more sensors configured to sense the medication within the interior space; 
 a container processing circuit configured to determine an amount of medication within the interior space; 
 a wireless communication circuit configured to transmit the amount of the medication within the interior space; 
 a monitoring server located remotely from the medicine container, the monitoring server comprising:
 a communication interface configured to receive the amount of the medication within the interior space transmitted from the container through the wireless communication network; 
 a memory circuit configured to store at least one of: a prescribed medication dose for the patient; and dose time periods in which the patient is to take the prescribed medication dose; 
 a monitoring server processing circuit configured to calculate taken medication based on a change in the amount of the medication within the interior space; 
 
 the monitoring server processing circuit further configured to monitor patient adherence in taking the medication based on the taken medication and at least one of the prescribed medication dose and the dose time periods. 
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to calculate dose time adherence as whether a change in the amount of medication within the interior space occurred within one of the dose time periods. 
     
     
         17 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to calculate medication dose adherence as whether the taken medication is equal to the prescribed medication dose. 
     
     
         18 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to calculate an absolute adherence over a time period that includes whether the taken medication was removed from the interior space within the dose time periods and whether the taken medication is equal to the prescribed medication dose. 
     
     
         19 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the memory circuit stores a contact information for a caregiver associated with the patient, and the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to send a message to the caregiver when the dose time adherence or the medication dose adherence have met predetermined levels. 
     
     
         20 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to calculate the medication dose and dose time adherence over a plurality of the dose time periods. 
     
     
         21 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more sensors are arranged within the body of the container. 
     
     
         22 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit automatically transmits a refill request when an amount of the medication remaining within the interior space reaches a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
         23 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein contact information of the patient is stored in the memory circuit and the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to transmit a message over the wireless communication network to the patient upon occurrence of an adherence triggering event related to the patient. 
     
     
         24 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to create adherence data for a first display area, behavior data for a second display area, and to transmit the data for viewing on a remote electronic device. 
     
     
         25 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is further configured to notify at least one of the patient and a patient entity of a negative patient adherence and to recheck the patient adherence within a predetermined time thereafter. 
     
     
         26 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server processing circuit is configured to determine a time when the medication was removed from or added to the interior space. 
     
     
         27 . The system according to any preceding claim, wherein the monitoring server is configured to send a message to at least one of the patient and a patient entity in the event of non-adherence, and the monitoring server is further configured to score messaging conversion by dividing a number of the messages sent by a number of successful patient medication adherence. 
     
     
         28 . A method of monitoring medication adherence by a patient comprising:
 periodically receiving from a medication container through a wireless communication network that includes a packet data network an amount of medication in the container;   calculating a taken medication based on a difference between the medication amounts received in different communications from the medication container;   calculating at least one of an adherence to time of whether the taken medication was removed from the container within a dose time period and an adherence to medication of whether the taken medication was equal to a prescribed medication dose; and   determining whether the patient is adhering to a medication schedule based on one or more of the adherence to time and the adherence to medication dose.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising storing the dose time period and the prescribed medication dose in a memory circuit prior to receiving the taken medication. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to any preceding claim, further comprising transmitting a message to a remote entity when one of the dose time adherence and medication dose adherence have met predetermined levels. 
     
     
         31 . The method according to any preceding claim, further comprising creating data including adherence to medication for a first display area, creating message conversion data for a second display area, and transmitting the data for viewing on an electronic display of a remote computing device.