Medication container and dosing monitor

1. A method for monitoring the compliance between the timing of medication events for a certain medication and for providing feedback indicative of the degree of compliance between those monitored medication events and a specified dosing regimen, where both the specified dosing regimen and the degree of compliance are determined using pharmacodynamic information including at least dosing effect information for the certain medication and information on the effects of various deviations from the specified dosing regimen, wherein the degree of compliance is provided at least to a patient receiving such medication comprising the steps of:

a.) providing to a dosing regimen memory and storing therein pharmacodynamic information for the certain medication comprising a desired dosing regimen, dosing effect information, and information on the effects of various deviations from the specified dosing regimen,

b.) monitoring the time that a dose of said medication is taken by the patient to provide a dose time signal,

c.) providing the dose time signals to a time signal memory for storage,

d.) determining at least the time elapsed since the most recently-generated dose time signal or the time elapsed between the most recently generated dose time signal and at least one previous dose time signal,

e.) comparing such determined elapsed times with the pharmacodynamic information concerning the dosing regimen, dosing effect information for the certain medication, and information on the effects of various deviations from the specified dosing regimen,

f) generating a feedback output indicative of the degree of compliance between the determined times and the pharmacodynamic information concerning the desired dosing regimen, dosing effect information, and deviation effect information for the certain medication, and

g.) displaying to the patient a graphic indication of the feedback output of the degree of compliance.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining at least the time elapsed since the most recently-generated dose time signal or the time elapsed between the most recently generated dose time signal and at least one previous dose time signal comprises a step selected from:

a.) the step of determining at least the time between the most recently generated dose time signal and at least one previous dose time signal,

b.) the step of determining at least the time between the most recently generated dose-detected time and the next most recently generated dose detected time, and

c.) the step of determining at least the time between the most recently generated dose time and the next most recently generated dose detected time and the time between at least another pair of dose detected times.

3. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising the step of providing data concerning the patient's dosing history with the certain medication to a health care professional or service.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of displaying to the patient a graphic indication of the feedback output comprises displaying the degree of compliance as a bar graph, a pie chart, or a visible color change.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the graphic indication of feedback comprises a visible color change display and the visible color change display indicates a potential severity of the patient's deviations from a desired dosing pattern of the certain medication.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring the time that a dose of said medication is taken by the patient comprises monitoring the time that a dose of the certain medication is removed from a blister pack.

7. A device for monitoring the compliance between the timing of medication events for a certain medication and for providing feedback indicative of the degree of compliance between those monitored medication events and a specified dosing regimen, where the specified dosing regimen and the degree of compliance are determined using pharmacodynamic information including at least dosing effect information for the certain medication and information on the effects of various deviations from the specified dosing regimen, wherein the degree of compliance is provided at least to a patient receiving such medication comprising:

a.) a medication timing detector capable of providing a dose time signal to a time signal memory each time a dose of said medication is taken by the patient,

b.) the time signal memory for storing the dose time signals provided by the medication timing detector,

c.) dosing regimen memory for storing pharmacodynamic information concerning the desired dosing regimen, dosing effect information, and deviation effect information for the certain medication,

d.) a comparator for determining at least the time elapsed since the most recently-generated dose time signal or the time elapsed between the most recently generated dose time signal and at least one previous dose time signal and comparing such determined elapsed times with the pharmacodynamic information concerning the dosing regimen, dosing effect information, and deviation effect information for the certain medication and generating a feedback output indicative of the degree of compliance between the determined times and the pharmacodynamic information concerning the desired dosing regimen, dosing effect information, and deviation effect information for the certain medication, and

e.) a display for displaying to the patient a graphic indication of the feedback output of the degree of compliance.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the comparator is operative to determine at least the time between the most recently generated dose time signal and at least one previous dose time signal and comparing such determined times with the pharmacodynamic information concerning the dosing regimen, dosing effect information, and deviation effect information for the certain medication and generating a feedback output indicative of the degree of compliance between the determined times and the pharmacodynamic information concerning the desired dosing regimen and dosing effect information for the certain medication.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the at least the time between the most recently-generated dose-dispensed time signal determined time and at least one previous dose-dispensed time signal is the time between the most recently generated dose-detected time and the next most recently generated dose detected time.

10. The device of claim 8 wherein the at least the time between the most recently-generated dose time signal determined time and at least one previous dose time signal is the time between the most recently generated dose time and the next most recently generated dose detected time and the time between at least another pair of dose detected times.

11. The device of claim 7 additionally comprising a dispensing data output by which data concerning the patient's dosing history with the certain medication can be outputted to a health care professional or service.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the dispensing data output is a contactless communication connection by which data is outputted by a connection selected from optical connections, capacitance connections, inductive connections, radio connections, and telephone connections.

13. The device of claim 7 wherein the display for displaying to the patient a graphic indication of the feedback output displays the degree of compliance as a bar graph, a pie chart, or a visible color change.

14. The device of claim 7 wherein the graphic indication of the feedback output displays the degree of compliance as a visible color change and the visible color change display indicates a potential severity of the patient's deviations from a desired dosing pattern of the certain medication.

15. A blister pack device for housing a plurality of doses of a certain medication and for monitoring the compliance between the timing of medication events for the certain medication and for providing feedback indicative of the degree of compliance between those monitored medication events and a specified dosing regimen, where the specified dosing regimen and the degree of compliance are determined using pharmacodynamic information including at least dosing effect information for the certain medication and information on the effects of various deviations from the specified dosing regimen, wherein the degree of compliance is provided at least to a patient receiving such medication comprising:

a.) a blister pack container capable of housing a plurality of doses of the certain medication,

b.) a medication timing detector capable of providing a dose time signal to a time signal memory each time a dose of said medication is taken by the patient,

c.) the time signal memory for storing the dose time signals provided by the medication timing detector,

d.) dosing regimen memory for storing pharmacodynamic information concerning the desired dosing regimen, dosing effect information, and deviation effect information for the certain medication,

e.) a comparator for determining at least the time elapsed since the most recently-generated dose time signal or the time elapsed between the most recently generated dose time signal and at least one previous dose time signal and comparing such determined elapsed times with the pharmacodynamic information concerning the dosing regimen, dosing effect information, and deviation effect information for the certain medication and generating a feedback output indicative of the degree of compliance between the determined times and the pharmacodynamic information concerning the desired dosing regimen, dosing effect information, and deviation effect information for the certain medication, and

f.) a display for displaying to the patient a graphic indication of the feedback output of the degree of compliance.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the comparator is operative to determine at least the time between the most recently generated dose time signal and at least one previous dose time signal and comparing such determined times with the pharmacodynamic information concerning the dosing regimen, dosing effect information, and deviation effect information for the certain medication and generating a feedback output indicative of the degree of compliance between the determined times and the pharmacodynamic information concerning the desired dosing regimen and dosing effect information for the certain medication.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the at least the time between the most recently-generated dose-dispensed time signal determined time and at least one previous dose-dispensed time signal is the time between the most recently generated dose-detected time and the next most recently generated dose detected time.

18. The device of claim 16 wherein the at least the time between the most recently-generated dose time signal determined time and at least one previous dose time signal is the time between the most recently generated dose time and the next most recently generated dose detected time and the time between at least another pair of dose detected times.

19. The device of claim 15 additionally comprising a dispensing data output by which data concerning the patient's dosing history with the certain medication can be outputted to a health care professional or service.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the data output is a contactless communication connection by which data is outputted by a connection selected from optical connections, capacitance connections, inductive connections, radio connections, and telephone connections.

21. The device of claim 15 wherein the display for displaying to the patient a graphic indication of the feedback output displays the degree of compliance as a bar graph, a pie chart, or a visible color change.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the graphic indication of the feedback output displays the degree of compliance as a visible color change and the visible color change display indicates a potential severity of the patient's deviations from a desired dosing pattern of the certain medication.