B) Two digit display module
With a modest increase in cost a two-digit seven-segment display module could present the data. One such module, which displays characters 1.4 centimeters high, is readily available at a moderate cost, as low as $0.53 in lots of 1,000 (Jameco part number 158216CH, Manufacturer's reference LA5622-11EWRN). Such a display can provide:
With a modest increase in cost a two-
1) A constantly illuminated character display.
2) A flashing display represented here by a starburst symbol around the characters.
Patient use of a two-
The patient can use the two-
1) Did I or did not I not take medication today?
2) How many doses of medication remain in the monitor?
When the patient wants answers to these questions he or she would push a button. The display will then show the number of doses remaining in the monitor.
If the patient had not taken the pills that day, the displayed digits would be flashing.
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APPENDIX:
DISPLAYS INCORPORATED INTO COMPLIANCE MONITORS
APPENDIX:
DISPLAYS INCORPORATED INTO COMPLIANCE MONITORS
With the next push of the button the results of the first sputa test would appear: S with a P if the patient was sputum positive. S with a negative sign, if the patient was sputa negative, and S with nothing if no sputa test had been done.
With subsequent depressions of the button the sputa status in subsequent months would be given for each of the months since the patient was started on medication. Since sputa tests are usually not done every month, most of these displays would show S with nothing. A patient, who had a positive sputum the first month, no sputa for 5 months and negative sputum on the last month, would have the following sequence of displays.
With subsequent depressions of the button the sputa status in subsequent months would be given for each of the months since the patient was started on medication. Since sputa tests are usually not done every month, most of these displays would show S with nothing. A patient, who had a positive sputum the first month, no sputa for 5 months and negative sputum on the last month, would have the following sequence of displays.
The next activation of the display would show the WHO classification of the case. C1 for class 1, C2 for class 2, C3 for class 3, C4 for class 4, C5 for class 5.
As previously mentioned preliminary evidence suggests that patients who consistently remove pills near the same point in time each day are more likely to complete treatment. This information would be helpful in deciding how much supervision each patient requires. A two-digit display module could be used to display consistency. For instance 99 would represent 99% consistent pill removal, 88 would represent 88% consistent pill removal, etc.
Caregiver use of two-digit display module to gain clinical information.
Upon entering an appropriate code the display would show the HIV status of the patient. H with a P, if HIV positive, H with a negative sign, if HIV negative, and H with nothing, if the HIV test was not done.
Caregiver use of two-
Upon entering an appropriate code the display would show the HIV status of the patient. H with a P, if HIV positive, H with a negative sign, if HIV negative, and H with nothing, if the HIV test was not done.
If patients remove medication prior to when it is to be taken, the module could automatically show a third display with an E for early and the number of doses removed in advance. In the first of the following examples the patient removed 9 doses prior to when they should have been taken. If the patient removed more than 9 doses in advance the 9 would flash off and on as shown in the second example.
Repeated activation of the module would create the same two displays for all the previous intervals between refills, starting with the latest refill interval and working back to the beginning of therapy. In this way the caregiver could get the entire adherence record.
Caregiver use of two-digit display module to view the adherence record
When the caregiver activates the module, the number of doses not removed on time since the last refill could be displayed as a flashing number for 15 seconds. Following this the module would automatically display the days since the last refill with a constantly illuminated number for another 15 seconds. From these two numbers the caregiver could quickly estimate the proportion of doses that was not taken since the last refill. In the example shown to the right the patient missed five doses over a 28 day period.
If the patient had taken the pills that day the digits would be constantly illuminated for a short period of time, like 15 seconds.
Note: Since the two-digit display module can only display two digits it can display any number from 0 to 99. If the interval between refills exceeds 99 days, which should be a rare event, the number 99 could flash off and on to alert the caregiver that there were more than 99 days between refills and the patient was grossly non-adherent.
