Ageing and medication adherence: An overview of key challenges, technologies, and opportunities

Abstract

A growing ageing population and the rise in the number of people living with long-term conditions lead to increasing demand for resources to support healthcare in a pandemic impacted world. Medication self-management or adherence remains a major challenge that creates additional pressure on the global healthcare system. Poor medication management puts the patients at risk of poor health outcomes, increased mortality and burden on the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. In this paper, the authors provide an overview of medication adherence and discuss its underlying challenges and emerging opportunities in the smart packaging sector. This includes exploring the relevant challenges for older people’s medication self-management through interviews with medical experts. Finally, conclusions and an outlook are presented towards future opportunities for personalized product-service systems of the future.