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According to an E-health Insider report, the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust are to begin a 40-patient trial of a smart pill that can text a patient’s mobile phone if they forget to take their medication. The aim of the trial is to encourage medication compliance which could result in fewer admissions to hospital.

The smart pill is based on the Raisin system, developed by Proteus Biomedical, and is made from digestible sensors that are activated by stomach fluids. Once activated, the sensor sends a low-power digital signal through to a patch on the patient's shoulder, which then decodes and records the information before sending it over a phone connection.

The pill has the additional ability to monitor heart rate, activity and sleep patterns, which often signal a change in a patient’s condition. If successful, this trial will be followed up with a year long trial.

www.e-health-insider.com/news/6165/pill_that_texts_trialled_in_uk