A Service-Oriented Privacy-Aware System for Medication Safety and Prescription Compliance in Smart Home Environments

Abstract

Medication management is becoming more complex, and the likelihood of unsafe prescriptions has increased because of the rapid pace of new medications introduced to the market, the trend of modern healthcare towards specialization, and the variety of medication interactions that complicate the prescribing process and patient management of medications. The severity of this problem is magnified when patients require multiple medications or have cognitive impairments. To counter this problem and improve the quality of patient healthcare, we designed and implemented a service-oriented system for medication management that collects and integrates information from patient smart homes, doctor offices and pharmacies to 1) detect adverse reactions among prescribed medications, existing health conditions, and foods, and 2) monitor and promote compliance with prescription instructions. The system is privacy-aware and designed to support information privacy regulations, such as the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).