Early clinical experience with networked system for promoting patient self-management.

OBJECTIVE

To gain early experience with a networked system designed to assess a patient's adherence to oral medication and physiologic metrics in an ambulatory, at-home setting.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective, observational studies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This networked system for patient self-management consists of ingestible markers and a wearable, personal monitor. When a marker is ingested, it communicates to a monitor that time-stamps the ingestion and identifies the marker as unique. The monitor also records heart rate and activity. Data from third-party monitoring equipment (eg, sphygmomanometer, weight scale) can be integrated into the system. Collected data are summarized for patient and physician review. Directly observed ingestion (DOI) of placebo tablet markers was used to assess the system's technical performance. Markers were also coencapsulated with drugs to capture at-home adherence. A performance criterion of <95% was set as the objective for system performance.

RESULTS

A total of 111 subjects ingested 7144 ingestible markers; 3298 were DOIs. The system's positive detection accuracy and negative detection accuracy in detecting ingested markers were 97.1% and 97.7%, respectively. It differentiated 100% of multiple drugs and doses taken simultaneously by type and by dose. Medication adherence was >85%. The most common adverse effect was mild skin rash from the monitor's electrodes. No definitive marker-related adverse effects were reported.

CONCLUSION

The system appears to be safe and effective in capturing and integrating adherence and physiologic data. Efforts are under way to enhance system functionalities and refine user interfaces. By providing context-rich information, this system may enhance patient-provider collaboration.