Systems and methods for drug compliance monitoring

• US 7,928,835 B1
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama (University of Alabama System)
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama (University of Alabama System)
• Inventors: Jovanov, Emil, Gold, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland; Donnie L
• Application Number:
  US11/958,345
• Time in Patent Office: 1,219 Days
• Field of Search: 340/309.16
• US Class Current: 340/309.16
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/30 Compliance analysis for taking medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0481 working on a schedule basis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

The present disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for drug compliance monitoring. A drug compliance monitoring system in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a portable drug containment unit, which has a drug container, such as a pill bottle, for holding prescription or non-prescription drugs. The drug containment unit also comprises at least one sensor and control logic. The sensor is configured to automatically sense a parameter indicating when a drug, such as one or more pills or an amount of liquid, has been or is about to be removed from the drug container. The system, based on the sensor, automatically estimates and tracks drug consumption and provides a patient with reminders when a dosage is currently due. If the patient deviates from an expected drug regime, the system automatically senses this event and provides a notification to the patient or caregiver. In addition, the system stores a usage history indicating the approximate time and amount of each sensed dosage.

Claims

1. A drug containment unit, comprising:

a drug container;

memory coupled to the drug container, the memory for storing data indicative of when dosages of a drug held by the container are to be removed from the container in accordance with an expected drug regime;

a sensor coupled to the drug container, the sensor configured to sense a parameter indicating when a portion of the drug is removed from the container; and

logic coupled to the drug container, the logic configured to monitor the parameter sensed by the sensor and to automatically trigger, based on the data and the parameter sensed by the sensor, a reminder notification for reminding a user to take at least one dosage of the drug, the logic configured to determine a value indicative of an amount of the drug removed from the drug container and to perform a comparison between the value and the data to determine whether the amount of the drug removed from the drug container is consistent with the expected drug regime, the logic further configured to trigger, based on the comparison, a real-time notification for warning the user prior to consuming the amount of the drug removed from the drug container if the comparison indicates that the amount of the drug removed from the drug container is inconsistent with the expected drug regime.

2. The drug containment unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to automatically sense an amount of the drug held by the container.

3. The drug containment unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of electrodes, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a capacitance between the electrodes, and wherein the logic is configured to estimate an amount of the portion of the drug removed from the container based on the capacitance between the electrodes.

4. The drug containment unit of claim 1, wherein the logic is mounted on a frame that is detachably coupled to the drug container.

5. The drug containment unit of claim 1, further comprising an output device coupled to the drug container, wherein the reminder notification is communicated to the user via the output device.

6. The drug containment unit of claim 1, further comprising a light source coupled to the drug container, wherein the logic is configured to activate the light source in response to a determination by the logic that a dosage of the drug is currently due.

7. The drug containment unit of claim 1, wherein the reminder notification is wirelessly transmitted to a portable reminder unit when the portable reminder unit is carried by a user and not coupled to the drug container, the memory, the sensor, and the logic.

8. The drug containment unit of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to determine the value based on the sensor.

9. The drug containment unit of claim 8, wherein the data comprises a threshold, and wherein the logic is configured to compare the value and the threshold to determine whether the amount is consistent with the expected drug regime.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the portable reminder unit comprises a cellular telephone.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the portable reminder unit comprises a pager.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to determine whether a dosage of the expected drug regime is missed, and wherein the logic is configured to automatically change the expected drug regime in response to a determination that the dosage of the expected drug regime has been missed.

13. A drug containment unit, comprising:

a drug container;

a plurality of electrode coupled to the drug container; and

logic configured to determine when a first portion of a drug has been removed from the container, the logic further configured to estimate an amount of the first portion based on a measurement of a capacitance between the electrodes and to transmit a notification based on a determination that the portion of the drug has been removed from the container.

14. The drug containment unit of claim 13, further comprising a communication interface coupled to the drug container, the communication interface configured to wirelessly transmit the notification to a portable reminder unit that is not coupled to the drug container.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the logic is configured to provide the notification in real-time in response to a determination that the first portion removed from the container is inconsistent with an expected drug regime such that a user who removes the first portion from the drug container receives the notification prior to consuming the first portion.

16. The drug containment unit of claim 13, wherein the measurement of the capacitance is performed while a second portion of the drug remains in the cavity between the electrodes, and wherein the second portion of the drug affects the measurement of the capacitance.

17. A drug compliance monitoring system, comprising:

a drug container;

a sensor coupled to the drug container, the sensor configured to sense a parameter indicative of when a user takes dosages of a drug in the container;

a portable reminder unit attached to a user and not coupled to the drug container and the sensor;

memory for storing data indicative of an expected drug regime; and

logic configured to perform at least one comparison between the data and the parameter sensed by the sensor, the logic further configured to transmit, to the reminder unit based on the at least one comparison, a reminder notification for reminding the user to take a dosage of the drug.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a light source coupled to the drug container, wherein the logic is configured to activate the light source in response to a determination by the logic that a dosage of the drug is currently due.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the drug container has a cavity for receiving the drug, wherein the drug container has a removable cap covering a mouth of the cavity, wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of electrodes positioned such that the drug is between the electrodes when the drug is inserted into the cavity, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a capacitance between the electrodes while at least a portion of the drug remains in the cavity, and wherein the value is based on the sensed capacitance.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the logic is mounted on a frame that is detachably coupled to the drug container.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the logic is configured to determine when the user deviates from the expected drug regime based on the at least one comparison.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the logic is configured to automatically update the expected drug regime in response to a determination that the user has deviated from the expected drug regime.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the logic is configured to determine, based on the parameter sensed by the sensor, a value indicative of an amount of the drug removed from the drug container.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the logic is configured to perform a comparison between the value and a threshold and to transmit, based on the comparison, a notification for warning the user that an unexpected amount of the drug has been removed from the drug container.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the logic is configured to determine a value indicative of an amount of the drug removed from the drug container and to perform a comparison between the value and the data to determine whether the amount of the drug removed from the drug container is consistent with the expected drug regime, the logic further configured to trigger, based on the comparison between the value and the data, a real-time notification for warning the user prior to consuming the amount of the drug removed from the drug container if the comparison between the value and the data indicates that the amount of the drug removed from the container is inconsistent with the expected drug regime.

26. A method, comprising the steps of:

storing data indicative of expected dosage times for a drug held by a drug container;

automatically sensing actual dosage times for the drug;

comparing, based on the sensing step, the actual dosage times to the expected dosage times indicated by the data;

transmitting at least one notification based on the comparing step;

sensing an amount of the drug removed from the drug container by a user;

comparing the sensed amount to an expected dosage amount for the expected drug regime;

determining whether the sensed amount is consistent with the expected dosage amount; and

providing a real-time notification for warning the user prior to consuming the amount of the drug removed from the drug container if the sensed amount is determined to be inconsistent with the expected dosage amount.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the steps of:

receiving the transmitted notification at a portable reminder unit while the portable reminder unit is being carried by the user; and

outputting, from the portable reminder unit and based on the transmitted notification, information for reminding a user to take a dosage of the drug.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of activating a light source coupled to the drug container based on the comparing the actual dosage times to the expected dosage times step.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the sensing the amount of the drug step is based on a capacitance between a plurality of electrodes coupled to the drug container.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising the steps of:

determining that at least one of the expected dosage times is missed; and

automatically changing the expected drug regime in response to the determining that the at least one of the expected dosage times is missed step.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the sensing the amount of the drug step comprises the steps of:

sensing the capacitance between the electrodes while at least a portion of the drug remains in the drug container between the electrodes after the amount of the drug has been removed from the drug container; and

estimating the amount of the drug removed from the drug container based on the sensed capacitance, wherein the sensed capacitance is affected by the portion of the drug that remains in the drug container between the electrodes after the amount of the drug has been removed from the drug container.