Health Tech Firm Offers Rx-Reminding Service for Phones

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A new service is being introduced to tackle the problem of treatment adherence.

A shocking 50% of people who have prescribed medicines don't take the medications properly, often missing doses. Leap of Faith Technologies is introducing a new service called eMedMobile to tackle the issue.

My grandfather is terrible about taking his mediciations. He simply forgets (he's 96). Luckily for him, he has caretakers who make sure is gets his pills. Not everyone is so fortunate. Others miss vital doses because they're just too busy, or decide against taking them. Obviously missing doses or using medicines in ways other than they are prescribed, can have life-threatening effects.

Leap of Faith Technologies' eMedMobile enables a smartphone to read information from a smart label on your medicine to help you or a family member identify the right medicine and when it is time to take it. The smart labels have small electronic chips in them containing data about the medication being taken. The phone reads the data on the chip and provides feedback about the medicine. The system can send alerts to caregivers if a medication is missed.

eMedMobile was originally developed for cancer patients in clinical trials, and it is now available to consumers so that anyone who is taking a lot of medication, or who is a caregiver for someone, has help.

I think this is a really great solution, but there's a hitch. Do you think your aging patients and/or loved ones can use a BlackBerry or Treo? There's an entire segment of the mobile phone industry that creates simpler devices that are easier for senior citizens to use. Smartphones can be complicated pieces of technology, and right now, eMedMobile only supports smartphones that use the Windows Mobile operating system.

Once this service is available to standard cell phones, it will be even more valuable and see a greater rate of adoption.

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Taha Qazi, MD | Credit: Cleveland Clinic
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