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ADHERE: Assessing the impact of Automated Devices for enhancing HEalth and Reducing medication Errors in older Adults with long-term health conditions: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Message on phone: 'Mum's Dispenser: Dose not taken'

Medication adherence

Medication adherence refers to the extent to which a person correctly follows the instructions for taking their prescribed medications. This includes taking the right dose at the right time, following any specific instructions for food or activity, and continuing the medication for the prescribed length of time. Adherence is crucial for managing chronic conditions, as failing to follow medication instructions can lead to worsened health, complications, and hospitalisations. Achieving good adherence can help improve overall health outcomes, reduce the risk of complications, and ensure the effectiveness of treatments.

The ADHERE trial

The ADHERE trial, which stands for Assessing the Impact of Automated Devices for Enhancing Health and Reducing Medication Errors in Older Adults with Long-Term Health Conditions, is a randomised controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of Automatic Medication Dispensers (AMDs) in improving medication adherence among older adults. The trial aims to determine whether these devices can help reduce medication errors, ensure medications are taken as prescribed, and ultimately improve health outcomes for people managing chronic conditions. Participants will be randomly assigned to either use an AMD for six months or continue with their usual medication routine. The trial will measure the impact of the device on medication adherence, health improvements, and any potential reduction in health complications. By gathering data on these factors, the trial hopes to provide valuable insights into how AMDs can support older adults in managing their health more effectively.

天美传媒 Design

The ADHERE trial will involve 144 participants, with 72 randomly assigned to use an Automatic Medication Dispenser (AMD) for six months, and 72 continuing with their usual care. The study will be conducted across eight pharmacies in Bedford, Luton, and Milton Keynes, allowing a broad range of participants from these areas to take part. Data will be collected at three key points: baseline, three months, and six months. This will help assess the impact of the AMD on medication adherence, health outcomes, and any changes in the management of long-term health conditions over the course of the trial. The aim is to provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of AMDs in improving the health and wellbeing of older adults with chronic conditions.

Target population

The target population for this study consists of adults aged 65 years and older who have been diagnosed with at least one long-term health condition. Participants must be prescribed a stable daily medication regimen, with no more than four doses per day. Eligible individuals may experience physical and/or memory-related difficulties in taking their medication and/or have self-reported low medication adherence, assessed using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). Those with an adherence score of less than 8 will be included, as this score has been previously identified as a reliable indicator of non-adherence in older adults. Additionally, participants may have previously tried and found other compliance aids, such as dosette boxes, calendar clocks, blister packs, or talking labels, to be unsuccessful. All participants must have sufficient English language skills and provide written informed consent to take part in the study.

The research team

Principal Investigator: Dr Erica Cook

Research Fellow: Dr Jodi Emma Wainwright

Trial Sponsor: Professor Gurch Randhawa

厂迟补迟颈蝉迟颈肠颈补苍:听Dr Ashley Bennett

The device

Download the instruction sheet detailing how to use the device [PDF]

You can also watch a short video about using the Pivotell Advance automatic pill dispenser.

Participant Information

天美传媒 Title:
ADHERE: Assessing the impact of Automated Devices for enhancing HEalth and Reducing medication Errors in older Adults with long-term health conditions: A Randomised Controlled Trial

What is the purpose of this study?

We are studying whether AMDs can help adults with long-term conditions stick to their medication schedules and improve their health. Not taking medication correctly leads to wasted medicine, poor health, and higher costs for the NHS.

Who can take part?

We are inviting adults with long-term conditions who take multiple medications daily in Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes (BLMK) to join.

Patients who require clinically unsuitable medications for the AMD, have a variable medication regimen, or need to take medication more than four times per day cannot take part.

Local pharmacists who provide you with medications are also taking part in the study.

What does taking part involve?

Your pharmacist will ask you if you want to take part in the study.
If you agree, the research team will contact you to discuss the study.
If you agree to participate the research team will ask you for your consent and ask you questions about your health and medication habits.
You will be randomly assigned to either:

Use an AMD for 6 months, or
Continue taking your medication as usual.

We鈥檒l ask you questions about your health and medication habits after 3 months, and after 6 months. This may be at your home, at a mutually convenient location or via telephone or video. All recordings will be kept secure and deleted at the end of the study.
Your GP will share relevant information for the study, but your pharmacy will continue managing your medications.
Completing all surveys will earn you a 拢20 gift voucher.
Some participants may be invited to take part in an optional interview at the end of the study. The research team will contact a sample of participants by telephone.

What support will I receive?

Safeguarding procedures are in place to protect participants' well-being, ensure informed consent, and maintain confidentiality.

Participants can be assisted by family members and/or carers to answer questions or take part in interviews.

Do I have to take part?

No, it鈥檚 completely your choice. You can stop participating or stop using the device at any time without giving a reason. This won鈥檛 affect your care in any way.

What are the benefits?

You鈥檒l help improve future healthcare services and make them more patient-centred.
The research could reduce NHS costs and improve care for people with long-term conditions.

What are the disadvantages?

We don鈥檛 expect any disadvantages. You鈥檒l receive the same care whether you take part or not.

Is there a cost?

There is no cost to use the device during the study.
After the study, if you decide to keep it, there may be a charge for refilling or text reminders, depending on your pharmacy.

Will my data be kept confidential?

Your data will be stored securely and anonymised under strict GDPR rules.
Only anonymised data will be shared with researchers or in publications.
The researcher may need to report issues like harm, illegal activity, or misconduct.

What happens if I want to stop?

You can leave the study at any time by contacting Dr Erica Cook (erica.cook@beds.ac.uk).

If you lose the capacity to consent, no further data will be collected, but any existing data will continue to be used and anonymised for research purposes.

You can also request that your data be removed.

What if I have questions or concerns?

Contact Dr Erica Cook at 01582 489217 or email erica.cook@beds.ac.uk
To make a formal complaint, contact Professor Gurch Randhawa at 01582 743797 or gurch.randhawa@beds.ac.uk

What will happen to the results?

The results will be shared with the Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes (BLMK) Integrated Care Board, published in a journal, and presented at conferences.

We may use direct quotations; however, all information will remain anonymous. With consent, anonymised data may be used in future research.

How will we use information about you?

We will need to use information from you and your pharmacist for this research project.

This information will include your name, contact details and information about your prescriptions. People will use this information to do the research or to check your records to make sure that the research is being done properly.

People who do not need to know who you are will not be able to see your name or contact details. Your data will have a code number instead.

The 天美传媒 is the sponsor of this research and is responsible for looking after your information. We will keep all information about you safe and secure by:

All information will be stored securely on password protected computers.

Your data will not be shared outside the UK.

Once we have finished the study, we will keep some of the data so we can check the results. We will write our reports in a way that no-one can work out that you took part in the study.

We will keep your study data for a maximum of five years. The study data will then be fully anonymised and securely archived or destroyed.

What are your choices about how your information is used?

you can stop being part of the study at any time, without giving a reason, but we will keep information about you that we already have
you have the right to ask us to remove, change or delete data we hold about you for the purposes of the study. We might not always be able to do this if it means we cannot use your data to do the research. If so, we will tell you why we cannot do this

Where can you find out more about how your information is used?

by sending an email to erica.cook@beds.ac.uk

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Thank you for considering taking part in this research!

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