I came across an article today which made my mind race. Large companies such as Google, IBM, Intel, and Microsoft are working towards creating a place where patients can monitor their health devices. This includes glucose meters, blood pressure cuffs, and what I see for the future of pill compliance devices. All we need is a device which can transmit data which about when a patent took their pill and the information could be managed through either Google Health, or Microsoft Health Vault.
"Google, IBM Promote Online Health Records" - WSJ
The biggest player so far in the standardization of health information technology and communication seems to be the Continua Health Alliance. Continua is a large group of technology companies and medical device makers which is lead by Intel. Their goal is to create a communication standard for medical devices which can then send the data to Google health account to be monitored by the patent. If the patent wishes they can share this information with family, caregivers, or doctors to create a support network for their health.
Continua Health Alliance
This is an amazing step towards making prescription medication manageable for patents. The accountability provided by these systems will greatly increase aging adults ability to remain independent and provide ease of mind for many pill takers. Caregivers can also remotely monitor patients health activities from the internet making managed care services more efficient.
