Impact of an alarm device on medication compliance in women in Mombasa, Kenya

A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted to determine the effic acy and acceptability of an alarm device for improving medication complianc e among women in resource poor countries. Study participants were given a o ne-month supply of daily multi-vitamins in an electronic medication vial. W omen randomly received either an alarmed vial or a non-alarmed vial. Sixty per cent of women had good compliance (defined as greater than or equal to 95% of pills ingested). Women randomized to use the alarmed vial were signi ficantly more likely to have good compliance than those in the non-alarmed control group (82% vs 36%, P < 0.001). Vial acceptability was high and 99% of participants said they would choose to use the vial again. Ln conclusion , the alarm device was found to significantly improve medication adherence rates and may be particularly beneficial for improving adherence to antiret roviral therapy among HIV-1 infected persons in developing countries.