Technology

[asperity]

Patients will be fitted with a microchip in their shoulder to remind them to take their medicine, under a new scheme being developed by a drugs company.

 

Older people will be given pills containing a harmless microchip that sends a signal to the chip in the shoulder when the pill is taken.

 

But if the pill is not taken by the forgetful patient, the chip in the shoulder will then send a text to a carer or the patient to remind them.

 

That's a great idea, should cut down on the yelling at staff and throwing of mobile phones.

[Evil Sid]

would it not be simpler to fit a device that would attach to the patient and automatically administer the correct dosage via a small injection. it could be worn on am arm or a belt round the waist.

a meter could monitor the amount of supplies left in the device and alert a carer etc when they were getting low and needed refilling. a temperature monitor could be incorporated to make sure that the patient was wearing it and also alert the relevant people.

 

should be cheaper than fitting microchips in pills, a cartridge system would make it easy to refill and the system could be reused by another person when no longer needed by the original user, by simply reprogramming the onboard chips.

 

in fact if fitted with a heart rate monitor and a few other minor testing devices it could be set to send an alert if anything out of the ordinary occurs. should also be small enough not to be cumbersome or intrusive, about the size of a cigarette package would be about the right size.

 

might be able to fit it with a simple reader device so that if the patient was rushed to hospital a quick scan would give details of medication without having to resort to questions that they may be unable to answer.

[Sha]

What next!

If a person is so confused as to forget to take their medication should they really be left alone?

How would you know if they'd forgotten to lock the door, forgotten to turn the cooker off, forgotten to eat etc?

[Bill]

The thing is with these sorts of ailments, it comes on very slowly and in the early stages they don?t need or want constant care.

 

When the mother in law was at a similar stage, we had all sorts of devices to help remind her to take her pills. They worked to some extent but as time goes by and things get worse such devices become useless. Then there?s no substitute for human care.

 

Bill