In this deepening we interview Dr Giovanni Ricevuti (University of Pavia Former Professor of Geriatric and Emergency Medicine – Pavia – Italy) regarding the introduction of the Norbi automated device as an automated drug dispenser to help patients follow the therapies correctly.
Are there frequent cases where the therapies are not effective because the patient is wrong or is not careful to take the prescribed drugs?
Dottor Giovanni Ricevuti: “It sometimes happens especially with patients who have cognitive disorders or durability and lack of virus or memory and do not have a caregiver attentive. Especially in those who have to use multiple medications at different times of the day.”
What are the most common diseases that require constant drug intake? Can a drug dispenser be a valuable ally in therapies?
Dottor Giovanni Ricevuti: “It is mainly chronic diseases and therefore those that most frequently affect the elderly. Especially diseases for which the continuous intake of drugs is essential and must be programmed at specific times: it is therefore an excellent help a dispenser of drugs that regulates therapy. For example diabetes mellitus, or arterial hypertension or oncohematologic diseases, or immunological and rheumatic or gastroenterological or cardiovascular as a result of stroke or myocardial infarction.”
Are you in favour of helping the new technology with apps and dispensers to help the elderly follow their care?
Dottor Giovanni Ricevuti: “It is definitely helpful for the identified patients a memo help in taking the drug. It also serves to give a cadence to the daily rhythms. They must be programmable either daily or weekly and easy to manage. This is what a drug dispenser should have as features.”
What obstacles does the coordination between doctor, patient and family encounter? Is it easy to verify the results and effects of a therapy?
Dottor Giovanni Ricevuti: “There are many ways to verify positive or negative outcomes of therapies and it is important for the MMG or the specialist doctor to know the course of the disease related to taking the drugs. It would perhaps be useful, but futuristic, to produce a report of the drug intake sent daily or at periods to the MMG or the specialist. It would allow to know adherence to therapy, drug intake, intake time, effectiveness or not of therapy, disease control.”
Read also the article: Norbi in therapies for the treatment of headaches.
