Distributing prescription medications in specially designed blister packages rather than in bottles may increase the likelihood that medications will be taken properly, a new study suggests.
The blister package, or pill calendar, tells a patient exactly when to take his medication. A patient simply pushes the pill through the foil on the back of the package in order to retrieve the pill.
The study found that patients taking lisinopril – a medication used to treat chronic high blood pressure – were more likely to have their prescriptions refilled on time if the medication came in a blister package rather than as loose tablets in a bottle. In this case, the blister package clearly started the day on which to take each pill.
Moreover, diastolic blood pressure was reduced in nearly half of the patients who received the drug in a blister package, compared to fewer than 20%of those participants who received bottles of medication. Diastolic pressure measures the pressure of the blood bet ween heart beats, while the heart is resting.
“This suggests that a better system of packaging for medications helped people take their medications properly,” said Philip Schneider, the study's lead author.
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Philip Schneider
T: +1 614 292 1514
E: schneider.5@osu.edu