Healthwave launch PillPods – Presorted medication pack for 15000+ members

Healthwave, Ireland’s leading digital pharmacy service, will begin the rollout of PillPods, pre-sorted individualised packages of medication. The tearable roll of pill pouches, housed in a convenient pod, helps patients manage multiple daily medications, along with automatic refills, at no additional cost to members.

This service is suited to those with chronic conditions who take regular monthly medications and may rely on pill organisers. 65% of Healthwave members are on 4 or more daily medications and are currently being transferred to the new dispensing system and PillPods.

PillPods simplify medicine management for patients, ensuring the correct pills are taken at the correct time each day whether at home or on the go. “Patients routinely forget to take daily medications for asymptomatic conditions while traditional medication packs can make it difficult to know whether a given day’s pill has been taken or not.  Each PillPods pouch is printed with personalised information for each patient including the date and time to take the included medications”, said Healthwave founder and Pharmacist Shane O’Sullivan.

Studies from Europe have shown that pre-sorted individualised packages of medication have resulted in an increase in compliance rates from 56% to 81% in patients over the age of 65 who sort and take medication themselves. While many pharmacies now charge for manually sorting medications into pillboxes, Healthwave will offer this innovative service free to members. Additionally with Covid-19 in mind, using PillPods technology adds an extra layer of hygiene to the traditional dispensing process, removing the manual handling of pills by patients and pharmacists.

Patients can register for the PillPods online service, and following the receipt of a patient’s digital prescription and pharmacist consultation, Healthwave will mail PillPods to patients anywhere in Ireland. In addition to medicines, PillPods can also be shipped with inhalers, liquids, skincare products and other pharmacy items.

The new Healthwave PillPods system combines automated pill dispensing robotics with machine learning visual inspection technology. The machine learning model uses a high-resolution camera and is capable of identifying the full range of tablets and capsules dispensed by the robotic dispenser, detecting anomalies such as broken tablets and flagging them to the pharmacist for manual approval via a cloud-based platform.

The automated dose dispensing robot is capable of dispensing 1 patient per minute, a 10x increase in output vs a traditional pharmacy.

The new Healthwave system can pre-prepare orders automatically each time a prescription is due for renewal with patients able to interact by text message with the team of pharmacists if any changes are required.

Healthwave founder and Managing Director Shane O’Sullivan began plans to implement this innovation in Ireland following a visit to a ‘super pharmacy’ in the Netherlands that uses the same technology to assist pharmacists filling out prescriptions, “The Dutch model is very different from Ireland. Automated dispensing systems pack and check medications for delivery while pharmacists are free to counsel patients by phone on any changes to their upcoming order.”

Ireland currently has 1,955 pharmacies serving a population of almost 5 million. The Netherlands has 1,800 pharmacies serving over 17 million people. Automated dispensing has played a key role in the development of the Dutch model. O’Sullivan stated, “The big takeaway for me was the reduction in error rates* by using technology. The government in the Netherlands now recommends that pharmacists use dispensing machines to increase safety. We want to give Irish patients access to the same standards of care and give our pharmacists more time with patients.”

O’Sullivan added, “Healthwave is committed to building the digital pharmacy of the future. We have already launched first of their kind services such as online membership, nationwide delivery and CareBot. PillPods is our latest innovation, bringing world-class dispensing standards to our patients. Coupled with our pharmacist text messaging platform, PillPods is the simplest way to get your medicines and have a pharmacist at your fingertips.”

Members of Healthwave pay a monthly €2.99 membership fee which gives them access to PillPods, lower-cost medication, free nationwide delivery, and most recently free female oral contraception.

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