nesly
New Member
Posts: 2 
|
Post by nesly on Dec 4, 2017 13:25:14 GMT -4
A digital pill that can monitor patients compliance sounds like a good idea. This technology will be very beneficial for those who are unable to be compliant either by choice or simply because they just can't remember. A patients who are mentally unstable may not want to come to the clinic every month for their medications or might not remember if they take it or not. so having that technology will help them greatly. this also will help the elderlies who are very forgetful. Being able to monitor the post operative patients for opioids overused is also a great idea. The problem with this technology is that it monitors people and not every one would like the fact that they are being monitored especially if the patient is paranoid and have trust issues. We might not also be able to use this technology on everyone even though they want to use it due to them being allergic to the manufacturing materials.
|
|
|
|
Post by Michelle Rizk on Dec 4, 2017 13:29:54 GMT -4
Of course, every new inventions has its pros and cons. This Digital Pill is now FDA for patients with psychiatric problems such as schizophrenia. However, it is important to state that it cannot be used in children and elderly. Already this narrows our targeted populations to only middle aged adults, and of course only those that own a smartphone device. This is a great inventions to limit the hospital emergency rooms visit but since this is a completely new inventions, nobody really knows the long term side effects that this will cause. At the end of the day, we are incorporating a very small device into these medication pills that is supposed to dissolve into our bodies. Of course, this can only be used if the patient agrees to this technology. Other than that, I find this very fascinating and helpful at the same time, since it does remind patients to take their medication on a daily basis. It also alerts the physician if the patient has missed several doses, which is great when trying to seek adjustment to medication regimens.
|
|
Erica Marie Roman Hernandez
Guest
|
Post by Erica Marie Roman Hernandez on Dec 8, 2017 17:35:13 GMT -4
First Digital Pill approved to worries about Biomedical “Big Brother”:
Ethical issues regarding patient autonomy and privacy might cause some controversy when it comes to taking a digital pill. Patient might argue he has the right to take his treatment without his compliance being questioned by his physician. He might also argue that he does not feel in control of his condition and therefore decrease the patient’s drive towards recovery and start seeing their medical condition through learned hopelessness, “I take a pill and they watch me, eventually I’ll feel better”. It might even entice a patient to regress and become more guarded with his physician by placing themselves in the state of mind that they are no longer required any responsibility in order to get better, because someone else is doing that for them. It is important to make a patient feel in control of his psychiatric illness, because for someone who already feels like he/she is not in control, the cure might feel just as pressured as the underlying illness.
However, I do think it’s a great advance in medicine. I also believe that the geriatric community would receive the greatest benefit. Both patient and family member will be able to keep record of the pills the patient took that day. Also, it might prevent a lot of overmedication or mixing the wrong medications.
A patient who is not complaint might be even more hesitant to take the pill because he/she feels that they are being watched over. Also, in a patient presenting with psychotic features explaining that there is a digital drug that will be ingested by them and allow the doctor to track the medication that the patient took might exacerbate the psychotic symptoms (patient could believe he's being "tested on"). For a clearly non-compliant patient, I believe the Depot injections are the way to go. I've seen the patient's before and after taking a long acting antipsychotic and the results are outstanding, the patients can actually be functional without worrying he has to take a pill the next day. That's another thing, even though it allows for better monitoring of compliance, it does not decrease the frequency in which medications are taken and sometimes with a busy life taking medications two or three times a day can become cumbersome and patient might not be willing to take it even if they are being monitored for it. Also, not only do they now have to remember to take a pill 3 times a day because they are being monitored, but they would also have to wear a patch in order for it to work. The versatility and comfortableness of the patch is yet to be determined by the general public.
Finally, I liked the fact that the doctors are able to tract via the app the compliance to the medications along with the possible side effect or the patient’s overall mood at the moment of taking the medication. This allows for a better standard of care and a more personalized medicine approach. Therefore, once the patient comes in for his monthly visit you will know the exact progression of the events that took place while on the medication and be able to have more confidence in changing medication dosage or regimens.
|
|
|
|
Post by gabriellewade on Dec 11, 2017 18:47:05 GMT -4
With the introduction of a digital pill come many pros and cons. On one hand, it would help those who simply forget to take their medication to be able to do so. It would also act as a means of proof for those who want to show their doctors that they are compliant with their medication regimen. Additionally, as the patient can proove that he is is taking his medication it can help to determine how effetive the medication really is. All of these cases would allow for the development of a healthy doctor-patient relationship with trust as its root as compliant patients should have nothing to hide.
On the other hand, this implentation may not be the best idea for those who are mentally unstable, especially those who are struck with delusions. Patients may consent to take the medication but when they are delusional they may see this as a means for the doctor to spy on them. This may lead to a feeling of an invasion of privacy and a feeling of inferiority with the "big brother" complex. This may lead into patients feeling pressure into taking medications in order to prove themselves to" big brother" as well as a feeling of a lack of trust between themseleves and the doctor seeing as they feel they are constantly being monitored. Additionally, patients may simply forget to change their patch. This would may also lead to a lack of trust between doctor and patient as the doctor has no proof the patient has been taking his medication even though he may have been compliant with the medication regimen. The patient could also prevent the doctor from seeing whether or not the medication has been taken by turning off the app which defeats the purpose of the digital pill.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alicia Salamani on Dec 17, 2017 16:08:26 GMT -4
I agree with how this can help people who forget their medication and it gives them a reminder. What I'm still trying to wrap my mind around is why is it FDA approved for an antipsychotic. What bothers me about this is that most of the time psychiatric patients taking this medication already feel like they're under surveillance by the government or people around them. They feel as though someone is watching them. This is exactly what these pills are doing they will be watched and monitored with the medication compliance. Seems like this would lead to more psychiatric patients being non compliant than compliant due to the "monitoring" they feel is happening. I feel as though this would be great for people who have diabetes or cardiac issues. They wouldn't need to be taken to the ER for DKA or unresponsive hypertension if they just regularly take their medication and monitor their blood sugars.
The only thing I would be concerned about as a patient is what if this pill and its technology causes me to have an illness down the road? Can you tell me this yet? Probably not this will have to be monitored for years to come and possibly end up on the market 20-30 years from now with hopefully as little side effects as possible.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kate on Jun 12, 2018 8:03:54 GMT -4
|
|
