How are multi-compartment compliance aids used in primary care?

摘要

Multi-compartment compliance aids (MCAs) are widely used for patients perceived as having problems with medicine taking at home. The aids hold seven days of a patient's medicines in 28 inner compartments, four for each day. They appear to be accepted by many health care professionals as a solution for patients having problems managing their medicines at home. This is despite there being little evidence for their effectiveness.~(1,2) A recent developemtn is that traditional MCAs (such as Dosetta nd medidos) have been over-shadowed by monitored dosage systems (MDSs) which, although initially designed for institutional use, are also promoted for use by patients in their own home.~3 The main advantages and disadvantages that have been associated with hte use of MCAs are described in Panel 1.