Managing Medications

SKILL: Executive Functioning

DIFFICULTY: 3/5

LEVELS: 24 based on the pill organizer, number of medications, and number of pills per bottle to sort

BRIEF RATIONALE: This treatment addresses attention, reading comprehension, and organization skills to help reduce medication errors.

Managing Medications includes 3 types of pill organizers: daily, AM/PM, and morning/noon/night. You will sort up to four different medications that will be visually distinct based on written instructions. The instructions may contain the number of pills, route, time of day, and frequency to mimic real-life medication labels. When you are done dragging and dropping the pills into place, you can check your work before submitting to reduce errors. The treatment auto-adjusts in difficulty by adjusting the number of pills, number of medications, and the type of pillbox.

HINT: A hint button is available in the lower-left corner of the screen to simplify the instruction. Using the hint will help you interpret the linguistic information by providing the number of pills per row. Using the hint will mark the item as incorrect, but may help interpret the written instructions as needed.

FOR THE CLINICIAN: Studies show that individuals with cognitive deficits may struggle with medication management regardless of regimen complexity. The intention behind this design is to provide repeated practice opportunities of medication sorting without compromising patient safety. The end goal is to maximize medication adherence and reduce medication errors for increased safety and independence.

Selected References:

Coumans, C., Vandenberghe, M., & Fery, P. (2017). High rate of errors in pillbox filling by cognitively healthy elderly people. Gériatrie Et Psychologie Neuropsychiatrie Du Viellissement, 15(3), 273–282. https://doi.org/10.1684/pnv.2017.0679
Stilley, C. S., Bender, C. M., Dunbar-Jacob, J., Sereika, S., & Ryan, C. M. (2010). The impact of cognitive function on medication management: Three studies. Health Psychology, 29(1), 50–55. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016940