Eli's Hospice Insider

Preventing accidental over-dosing or drug diversion can be a challenge for hospice providers providing care in the home. A medication dispensing machine can be one solution, says Albert Barber, PharmD, who oversees pharmacy services for a national nursing facility chain based in Ft. Smith, Ark.

There are small medication dispensing machines for people to use at home that might be ideal for hospice care, he notes. The machine talks to you and says, for example, "It's 3 p.m. and time for your Percocet" or whatever the medication is. The machines can be pass-word protected," adds Barber, who predicts the technology will head toward fingerprint recognition.