PATCAI -- Promoting Adherence Through Computing and Information

About PATCAI

Medication adherence in the elderly with memory problems

PATCAI is an acronym for Promoting Adherence Through Computing and Information. It's study about medication adherence in elderly patients who are being treated for memory problems. The study investigates how patient and caregiver beliefs about how medications help with memory problems. It also will investigate how mood, side effects, and memory affect how often patients take their medication. Finally, PATCAI studies how two different interventions -- automated reminding and tailored intervention -- affect adherence.

Patients involved in the study can be in one of three groups. The control group visit our study center once per month, where the patients' adherence is monitored and a number of questions about their mood and use of health care resources are asked. Patients in the automated reminding group receive daily reminders by telephone. The reminders tell them to take their medication. Patients in the tailored intervention condition receive written answers to questions that they may have about their conditions and its treatment.

All patients visit the study site once per month. The first several visits take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. After these first two visits, the next to visits are short -- they only take 20-30 mintues. Every third visit, however, is longer. These visits take about 1 hour. At the longer visits, patients are asked questions about their memory, and caregivers are asked about how well the patients is doing and how they feel about helping the patient.

At the end of one year, patients are invited to participate in another year of follow-up assessments. Patients come to the center every three months during this time.

Future Studies

After completing this study, our group hopes to be able to continue investigations of medication adherence in the elderly. We are particularly interested in how health care literacy affects medication adherence and other aspects of medical care in elderly patients.

E-mail: PATCAI Information