A Novel Technology to Improve HIV Medication Compliance

描述(申请人提供)：感染人类免疫缺陷病毒(HIV)导致了过去20年来代价最高、破坏性最大的流行病之一。如果不进行治疗，病毒会慢慢破坏免疫系统，导致严重的发病率和几乎100%的死亡率，在最初感染后的两到二十年内。幸运的是，抗逆转录病毒治疗的最新进展几乎完全抑制了感染者的病毒复制。不幸的是，病毒的快速变异和对治疗产生抗药性的能力需要使用复杂的给药程序来管理多种药物，以维持病毒抑制。尽管坚持这些复杂的治疗方案是最重要的，但即使是最警惕的人也很难在较长时间内维持这些方案。该项目的目的是重新装备和测试一个计算机化的地堡，以便为艾滋病毒感染者方便地储存和运输抗逆转录病毒药物。该设备旨在通过整合给药时的提醒信号和使用报告功能来进一步帮助遵守。该设备在第一阶段进行了测试，显示出高度积极的可用性评级，并与增加服药时间顺应性显著相关(通过药片盖子打开观察到的)。将实施第一次测试中建议的修改，并在制造和测试生产单元之前在重点小组中测试测试版单元。最终确定后，该设备及其基础设施将在HIV患者的研究人群中进行测试，以确定其在提高药物依从性方面的有效性、可用性和有效性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has led to one of the most costly and devastating epidemics of the last two decades. Untreated, the virus slowly destroys the immune system, leading to significant morbidity and virtually 100% mortality within two to twenty years after initial infection. Fortunately, recent advances in antiretroviral therapy have allowed for almost complete inhibition of viral replication in infected individuals. Unfortunately, the ability of the virus to rapidly mutate and become resistant to treatments necessitates the administration of multiple medications, using complex dosing schedules, in order to maintain viral suppression. Although adherence to these complicated treatment regimens is paramount, even the most vigilant persons have difficulty maintaining these protocols for extended periods of time. The purpose of this project is to retool and test a computerized pillbox that will allow convenient storage and transport of antiretroviral medications for persons infected with HIV. The device is designed to further aid adherence by incorporating reminding signals at dosing times and usage reporting functions. The device was tested in Phase I and demonstrated highly positive usability ratings and significant association with increased medication taking timing compliance (as observed via pill lid openings). Modifications that were suggested in the first test will be implemented, and the beta unit will be tested in focus groups before production units are built and beta tested. When finalized, the device and its infrastructure will be tested in a study population of HIV patients in order to determine its effectiveness, usability, and validity in increasing medication compliance.