Fostering TB Medication Adherence via Innovative Packaging

Andrew Cross of Microsoft Research India in India will try to improve adherence to tuberculosis medication in India by evaluating an inexpensive approach combining personalized pill packaging with mobile phones to report when medication has been taken and to receive reminders. Less than half of people with chronic diseases take their medication correctly. And for diseases like tuberculosis this can lead to drug-resistance, which is a serious problem. Solutions such as the electronic pillbox have been successful, but are expensive. They will conduct a randomized controlled trial of their pill blister packet, which exposes a unique number when a pill is taken and prompts the user to make a free mobile phone call to report it. Frequent reminders to take medication will be sent by SMS, and if medication is missed, individuals will be contacted directly by health care workers.