Patients being non-compliant with taking their medication negates the value of going to the doctor, creates confusion in setting up treatment plans and in the case of antibiotics teaches the exact bacteria you're trying to kill how to fight back (MRSA).Luckily, next generation devices such as Zuri aim to help remind patients to take their medication and also provide an electronic record of time and dosage to the doctor. Real-time interfacing with your medical provider is the only way to monitor medication activity successfully.
Here's more from the WSJ.
...the Zuri, an iPod-sized device that sends patients reminders to take their medications and records their compliance, which users and, if they choose, their doctors can track through a companion Web page.
Intel's care-management tool, called Health Guide, combines an in-home patient device with an online interface that doctors can use to monitor and remotely manage care. The in-home patient device collects readings from specific models of wired and wireless medical devices, such as blood-pressure monitors and glucose meters. It then displays the data for the patient on a touch screen and sends the readings to a secure host server, where health-care professionals can review the information and provide feedback via video conferencing and email.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is working with home-health and fitness-device makers to integrate vital-signs data into HealthVault, an online service the software company recently launched that allows consumers to store, manage and selectively share medical data.