David, 34: ‘I build my routine around the Helping Hand'

As a diabetic, David* knows the unpleasant consequences of not managing to take his insulin on time. Thus, carefully timing his medication is essential to him. However, by using the Helping Hand David improved his compliance rate remarkably. With a compliance rate exceeding 99% today, he no longer has to worry about forgetting to take his medication on time. 

David suffers from diabetes and is required to take a shot of long-acting insulin every evening as part of his insulin therapy to keep his blood sugar under control. Like many other diabetics, he also has to take other medications; in this case David takes medication for treating hypertension (an ACE II inhibitor/diuretic combination) and for raised cholesterol (a statin). Consequently, David has to take three types of medication on a daily basis and a dose of long-acting insulin in the evening. One and a half years ago he started using the intelligent tablet reminder from Bang & Olufsen Medicom, the 'Helping Hand'.

Individual Programming

The Helping Hand reminds users to take their medication both visually by a flash light and audibly by a beep. ‘I have programmed my Helping Hand to be activated and remind me at 10.30 p.m. every evening. Often I hear the beep when watching TV or reading before going to bed’, says David. ‘If I come home late one night the first thing my eyes catch is the flash from the device that is placed on my night table’, he continues. When the device reminds him it is medication time, he takes all three types of medication. The device has really made a difference for him. During the past one and a half years he has been using the tablet reminder device, David has only missed 3-4 doses and one of them was an evening, where the battery in the device had come to an end, the other where a flight was cancelled and he was separated from his device.

Routine built around the Helping Hand

Using the device has improved David's compliance rate to exceed 99%, which means that his blood pressure is stable and his cholesterol levels have vastly improved. ‘Actually I build my routine around the Helping Hand’, he says and continues, ‘I would definitely recommend it to other diabetics it works perfectly for me’. David works in an international sales department, and travelling is therefore part of his daily life. The device helps him when on the move to protect the blister pack and is a great help when flying between different time zones that can easily disrupt a routine of taking medication at a fixed hour. ‘ When travelling on, for example, long haul flights to USA, it also helps me to still take my medication at 24 hour time intervals, as required, despite the differences in local time’, David explains. The limited weight and size of the device, allow users of the Helping Hand to comfortably bring the device with them. ‘The device is easy to carry with me as it fits perfectly into the pocket of my jacket. Design-wise it looks like a B&O product and that is not too bad either’, ends David smiling. 

* B&O Medicom reserves the right to conceal the real name of the patient