Solution proposed for patient medication management

A sharp rise in US deaths attributed to medication errors has prompted one medical device firm, Reeves-Sain, to develop a pre-packaged  container to ensure that patients do not take the wrong amount of drugs  per day. The device is called MediPACK and includes labeling information  about the relevant medicines, including prescribing details such as the  timing of consumption.

Shane Reeves, one of the firm's co-owners, cited findings from a study  of 50 million death certificates, published in the Archives of Internal  Medicine. Medication errors resulting death increased from 1,132 in 1983  to 12,426 in 2004. Even allowing for population growth, the study led by  David Philipps of the University of California - San Diego noted this is  a more than sevenfold rise in the death toll.

The MediPACK system has previously been operated in nursing homes,  however Reeves-Sain stated that these could be extended to general use.  The company can arrange delivery to individual patients.