PDU: A Pill Dispenser Unit for an IoT System for Monitoring and Controlling the Pharmaceutical Treatment for Patients With Psychological Mental Conditions

Non-adherence to medication is a major problem in the treatment of patients suffering from psychological conditions, as it leads to relapses that require re-hospitalisation, while in extreme cases can lead to suicide or violent crimes. In this paper, we present the Pill Dispenser Unit (PDU), an IoT system that monitors and controls the medication treatment of patients with psychological mental conditions. A variety of pill dispensing units are available on the market, however these units are intended to be used as automatic pill dispensers for elderly people suffering from diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The proposed pill dispensing unit provides additional functions necessary for medication of patients with psychological mental conditions. With the PDU, all of the patient’s medication activity is recorded and uploaded to a web server that allows the doctor to monitor and evaluate the patient’s medication compliance. Dose omissions and overdose attempts by the patient are recorded by the PDU. Repeated dose misses, overdose attempts and changes in the patient’s medication adherence profile provide real-time alerts to the patient’s doctor, allowing the doctor to intervene. To prevent overdose, the PDU has a locking mechanism to ensure that the patient receives the prescribed medication only at the designated times. A prototype of the PDU has been developed using off-the-shelf electronic components. The prototype consists of two distinct units, the basic pill dispensing unit and the portable pill dispensing unit.