Centre de Recherche Fernand-Séguin, Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal Montreal, QC, Canada ; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal Montreal, QC, Canada ; Department of Psychiatry, Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal Montreal, QC, Canada.
Front Pharmacol. 2013 Aug 9;4:100. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2013.00100. eCollection 2013.
Medication adherence is extremely important in preventing relapse and lowering symptoms in schizophrenic patients. However, estimates show that nearly half of these patients have poor adherence. The Brief Adherence Rating Scale (BARS) seems to be the most reliable tool assessing adherence in schizophrenia and shows that the antipsychotic adherence ratio (AAR) is about 49.5% in schizophrenia. The aim of the study was to test if an electronic pill dispenser named DoPill(®) improved AAR of schizophrenic patients. Furthermore, we compared AAR obtained by the DoPill(®) and the BARS, in order to verify whether the DoPill(®) provides reliable assessment of medication adherence.
The DoPill(®) is a smart pill dispenser that beeps and flashes at the appropriate time of the day. Each of its 28 compartments is covered by a plastic lamina that, when taken off, sends a signal to the pharmacist. Patients were randomized to the DoPill(®) or treatment as usual groups for 6 weeks. The BARS was used as a reference measure.
Forty-six percent of patients were deemed to be non-adherent with antipsychotic medication. The mean AAR was 67% after 6 weeks. DoPill(®) recorded better AAR than some of those found in the literature and were lower than the BARS estimate we found.
These results suggest that DoPill(®) is a valid tool that provides more reliable and objective data for the clinician about their patient's adherence, than existing assessment tools like the BARS. Furthermore, the device may help patients successfully manage their medication regimen.
药物依从性对于预防精神分裂症患者复发和降低症状非常重要。然而，估计有近一半的此类患者依从性较差。简短依从评定量表（BARS）似乎是评估精神分裂症患者依从性最可靠的工具，显示精神分裂症的抗精神病药物依从率（AAR）约为 49.5%。本研究旨在测试名为 DoPill(®)的电子药丸分配器是否能提高精神分裂症患者的 AAR。此外，我们比较了 DoPill(®)和 BARS 获得的 AAR，以验证 DoPill(®)是否能可靠评估药物依从性。
DoPill(®)是一种智能药丸分配器，每天在适当的时间发出哔哔声和闪烁。其 28 个隔室中的每一个都被一个塑料薄片覆盖，当取下时，会向药剂师发送信号。患者被随机分配到 DoPill(®)或常规治疗组，为期 6 周。使用 BARS 作为参考测量。
46%的患者被认为对抗精神病药物不依从。6 周后平均 AAR 为 67%。DoPill(®)记录的 AAR 优于一些文献中的发现，且低于我们发现的 BARS 估计值。
这些结果表明，DoPill(®)是一种有效的工具，为临床医生提供了比 BARS 等现有评估工具更可靠和客观的数据，了解患者的依从性。此外，该设备可能有助于患者成功管理其药物治疗方案。
