Medication Dispensing System to Support Medication Adherence for Individuals Living at Home With Chronic Conditions: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Managing and taking medications as prescribed can be a difficult task. This is especially true for older adults living at home with chronic conditions while managing multiple prescribed medications. In response, Catalyst Healthcare has adopted an integrated medication dispensing system that intends to improve patient adherence to medications and quality of care through real-time pharmacists and caregiver support.Catalyst Healthcare has launched an integrated at-home medication dispenser system called spencer. Spencer is a natural extension that plugs into Catalyst's AdhereNet platform, connecting high-risk patients in home care setting to a multi-disciplinary care team in real-time. Study is funded by the Centre of Aging and Brain Health Innovation (CABHI). Investigators are conducting a randomized controlled trial with a target sample size of 100 participants to examine the efficacy of an in-home electronic medication dispensing system (MDS) on improving medication adherence in community-dwelling older adults with chronic conditions. 50 of these participants will be assigned to the intervention group (medication management with Spencer) and 50 will be assigned to the control group (medication management without Spencer). Medication adherence and patient-related data will be collected over a six-month period. Participants health status and characteristics will be obtained through baseline assessment upon enrollment. A monthly follow-up survey will be completed to collect medication management and adherence data. Adherence data for spencer-users will be collected from Catalyst Healthcare technology platform. In the control group, adherence will be measured through monthly medication logs completed by participants.