Exploring the smartwatch as a tool for medical adherence

Abstract: Adherence to medication is generally described as a huge problem in the health care system. The term adherence is generally preferred by many health care providers as the word 'compliance' describes a patient who is passively taking medication as advised/ordered by the doctor. This thesis goes in depth in identifying the problems faced to achieve maximum adherence to medication and the important factors contributing to it. The objective is to come up with an alternative approach to help improve medical adherence using a smart watch based application that reminds patients to consume their medicines in a timely fashion. It addresses precisely which medication to take and in what quantity. This form of reporting and alerting is believed to achieve higher levels of adherence based on grounded theory. Shedding light on the methodologies used while clearly identifies the assumptions and limitations such a system can have.