Medical Reports: Smart Pill Box

WSVN -- Ian Crawford doesn't let the cold keep him from getting a good workout.

Ian Crawford: "I can't stand treadmills, so I'm an outdoor runner, no matter what the weather is."

He may be in shape and look like he's got perfect health, but Ian actually has high blood pressure and needs to take a daily pill.

Ian is not only active outside. He works 60 hours a week as a lawyer, so, like many of us, taking his pill isn't always on his mind.

Ian Crawford: "Sometimes, I'll come home and think, 'Did I remember to take it?'"

Dr. Joseph Kvedar says, for many patients, their daily medication keeps them alive.

Dr. Joseph Kvedar: "Fifty percent of the time, actually, people do not take their medications properly, and, about a quarter of the time, it's because they simply forgot."

And that's why he is testing a new device to help his patients remember.

It's called the Smart Pillbox. This is how it works: when you take the cap off your medicine bottle, this lever goes up, triggering a cell phone inside this pack to send out a text message. Then that message makes a glowing globe inside your home change from red to green.

Dr. Joseph Kvedar: "It's an instant reminder as I look at it, and it works pretty well."

The globe automatically re-sets itself back to red at 3 a.m.

The smart pillbox will give you a constant -- but not an annoying -- reminder to take your medicines, and it can also fit into your home decor.

Ian is one of about 50 patients testing it out.

Ian Crawford: "I can just go check the globe, and the globe will confirm whether in fact I took it or forgot to that morning."

Richard Lemus: "The Smart Pillbox is in the final stages of development. Researchers are hoping to make it work for a couple of different pills."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Dr. Joseph Kvedar
Center for Connected Health
25 New Chardon Street, Suite 400 D
Boston, MA 02114
888-456-5003
http://www.connected-health.org