Medication adherence and older renal transplant patients' perceptions of electronic medication monitoring.

This study evaluated older renal transplant recipients' perceptions of electronic medication monitoring and the influence of these perceptions on medication adherence. A sample of 73 older adult renal transplant recipients who used the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS(®)) TrackCaps for 12 months provided their perceptions of device use. Participants perceived that the MEMS had a neutral effect on their medication-taking routine (65%), believed the MEMS was practical (56%), and could not describe any instances in which using the MEMS was difficult (56%). No significant difference in medication adherence was found between those who perceived the MEMS's influence negatively/neutrally and those who perceived the MEMS positively (p = 0.22). Medication adherence data from older adult renal transplant recipients can be used regardless of their perceptions of the MEMS's influence on their medication taking without biasing medication adherence data. Copyright 2009, SLACK Incorporated.