| Abstract |
Several health complications arise from non-adherence to medications. Most existing tools lack the ability to facilitate communication between the patient and their healthcare worker, especially in critical situations. We developed a smart pill dispenser/medical assistant to help address some adherence changes. This innovation is equipped with intelligent remote communication capabilities between the patient and a medical professional, and can be used in many settings such as hospital and home facilities to assist in dispensing of medications. The purpose of this study was to explore the user perception and attitudes towards the smart pill dispenser in addressing drug dispensing challenges in hospitals in Kampala, Uganda. This was a pilot study that employed qualitative data collection methods among health providers in four hospitals, involving 17 key informant interviews. The findings revealed that the prototype was easy to use and very acceptable to many health workers. In particular, the respondents rated the prototype highly based on supporting features such camera, video enabled two-way communication and water dispenser. However, some modifications were proposed such as decreasing the size, and increasing the number of dispensing channels. This study provides the impetus for an agile improvement strategy that includes prototype refinement and further acceptance study among users in more health facilities.
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| Year of Publication |
2021
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| Publisher |
Springer International Publishing
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| Conference Location |
Cham
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| ISBN Number |
978-3-030-63092-8
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