Intelligent Medication Reminder System to Reduce Senior Medication Nonadherence

We were inspired to create this project by a kind neighbor of mine. During one visit, I noticed a small table covered with his medications, which surprised me. It made me wonder how difficult it must be for a senior to keep track of so many pills every day, especially if they live alone. I had also seen my grandparents use medication containers for chronic disease pills, which showed me that this was not just one person’s challenge, but a problem many families face. From there, we began thinking about how to design a system that could help people manage multiple medications in a safer, simpler, and more trackable way. Through this project, we hope to help seniors follow their medication schedules more confidently, while also allowing their family members to shift from constantly reminding them to simply monitoring their well-being.

We began with two types of research: background research to understand medication nonadherence, and product research to understand real world requirements. We used government websites, published research papers, and interviews with local pharmacists and our school nurse to make sure our information was credible. Based on this research, we set our initial prototype goal.

We then divided the project into two main parts, the medication container and the mobile app. Alvin worked on the electronics and app, while Rubio worked on designing and 3D printing the container. Instead of building everything at once, we both broke the project into smaller problems, tested each part separately, and then combined the parts into one working system.

For the container, Rubio first created and tested smaller boxes before combining them into a container with six boxes. This helped us check the size and opening design before building the full version. For the reminder system, Alvin first tested the electronics and Bluetooth connection, then designed the mobile app and connected it to the container.

After the main parts were connected, we tested whether each feature worked as intended. We listed all the features we have, and we make sure to test each of the feature 20 times and record the number of times it works and it doesn't work. We then calculate the accuracy of each feature and note the reason why it didn't work and make improvement according to that. We also asked our family members, including my parents and grandparents, to try the prototype and give feedback.

Material Used:

3D printer

ESP32 Control Board

Arduino Electronics (LED Light, Buzzer, Button)

iOS app

Our project showed that a smart medication container can make medication management simpler, safer, and easier to monitor for seniors. During the design process, we focused on making the fundamental structure of the container as reliable as possible. Although the final prototype has a complex internal layout, we simplified the electronic system as much as we could. This was important because a device designed for seniors should be dependable and trustworthy at anytime.

Once we had our first consistently working prototype, we conducted a small test with the two of us and several of our grandparents. Although the participants were not randomly selected, we used a simple matched-pairs design to compare the two treatments. Treatment A was using our Smart Pill Container, while Treatment B was not using it. We randomly assigned three participants to start with Treatment A and the others to start with Treatment B. After ten days, the groups switched treatments.

To reduce confounding variables, we selected unfamiliar supplements instead of regular medications, so participants would not rely only on existing habits. We then compared how consistently participants followed the schedule with and without the device. The results showed that participants were generally more consistent with there medication schedule when using the Smart Pill Container. More importantly, the reminders and tracking system reduced the need for family members to constantly remind them.

Assuming that the probability of remembering to take medication on time is 0.5, the expected number of successful days for each participant over a ten-day period would be 5 out of 10. Based on this assumption, we used a chi-square goodness-of-fit test to compare the observed results with the expected results. The p-value decreased from 0.66918(66.918%) without the Smart Pill Container, to 0.28(28%) with the Smart Pill Container. Although this result is still not low enough to reject the null hypothesis, at a significant level of 0.15, it does suggest a visible improvement when the device was used.

Through this project, we learned that building a working prototype requires more than having a good idea. We had to improve our CAD design, wiring, coding, 3D printing, and testing skills while constantly fixing small problems that appeared during the build. Many parts that seemed simple at first became more difficult once we had to make them work together in one complete system. We also noticed that medication non-adherence is only one example of a larger issue. There are still many everyday problems that affect people’s quality of life, especially for seniors and people who need extra support. Some of these problems may seem small from the outside, but they can become serious when they happen every day. I want to say that we do not always need to start with a huge invention. Sometimes, it starts by noticing a real problem around us and trying to make one part of life easier. Our prototype is not perfect yet, but the process helped us understand how design, testing, and problem-solving can be used to improve the world in practical ways.

Our next step is to improve our container's reliability, app's privacy, and the overall system's real world usability. For the container, we plan to reduce size, add power source, and refine linkage system. For the mobile app, we plan to make the interface more user-friendly, improve privacy protection, and add modes, such as a caregiver and senior mode for people living independently. In the future, we plan to donate our final project to a senior community, where it could support seniors directly and allow us to give back to the community that inspired this project.

We would like to thank everyone who helped and supported us throughout our project. First, we would like to thank the kind senior for providing examples of medication instruction labels on the pill container. We also thank our school nurse and the local pharmacist who took the time to explain Victoria's medication system, prescription instructions, and real world challenges seniors may face when managing medication. We are also grateful to our family members for testing our device and giving feedback. Finally, we thank our school for providing us Arduino materials, 3D printer, and a design lab where we could build and improve our prototype.

References

and, R. (2021). Economic profile: Victoria (CMA), British Columbia - Canada.ca. Canada.ca. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/campaigns/immigration-matters/local-economies/victoria.html

Ewa, V. (2024). Therapeutic failure or forgetting pills | AMA. Albertadoctors.org. https://www.albertadoctors.org/news/publications/ops/therapeutic-failure-or-forgetting-pills/

Government of Canada, S. C. (2022, February 9). Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Victoria, City (CY) [Census subdivision], British Columbia. Www12.Statcan.gc.ca. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=victoria&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1&DGUIDlist=2021A00055917034&HEADERlist=0

Government of Canada, S. C. (2023, August 11). Canadian seniors more connected than ever. Www.statcan.gc.ca. https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/4288-canadian-seniors-more-connected-ever

Kleinsinger, F. (2018). The unmet challenge of medication nonadherence. The Permanente Journal, 22(18-033). https://doi.org/10.7812/tpp/18-033

School Nurse. (2026, February 26). Victoria’s Health Care System (A. Tsao, Interviewer) [Personal communication].

Shopper's Pharmacist at Hillside. (2026, March 2). Victoria’s Health Care System (A. Tsao, Interviewer) [Personal communication].

Stewart, S.-J. F., Moon, Z., & Horne, R. (2022). Medication nonadherence: health impact, prevalence, correlates and interventions. Psychology & Health, 38(6), 1–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2022.2144923