Correspondence: Arne Christensen, Division of Social Pharmacy, Department for Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, The Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 København Ø, Denmark. Tel: +45 3530 6350; Fax: +45 3530 6050; e-mail: ach@dfuni.dk

¹has a Masters in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany. The work for his master's degree was carried out in cooperation with AstraZeneca R&D Mölndal, Sweden. After his graduation, he worked in a public pharmacy in Germany, directly facing patient's compliance problems in everyday work. He is working on his PhD project entitled "The Impact of Intelligent Medical Packaging and Devices on Treatment Adherence" at the Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Copenhagen, Denmark in cooperation with Bang & Olufsen Medicom a/s. The methods applied in his project include survey research and clinical trials.

²is Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy at The Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Copenhagen. Her research is focused on the dose–response relationship of analgesic substances, including factors as dosage form, administration route, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, patient acceptance and compliance.

³is Concept Development Manager at Bang & Olufsen Medicom a/s. He is responsible for the creative and strategic processes in business and product development and has more than 15 years of experience in the medical device industry. He has a basic education as BSc EE in Mechatronics. In recent years, Bang & Olufsen Medicom has been associated with four design awards for their drug delivery device and diagnostic solutions. He has been responsible for the concept development of these products.

⁴is professor of Social Pharmacy at the Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences. She is also the Director of the multidisciplinary and inter-institutional Research Center for Quality in Medicine Use. She has been the backbone of Social Pharmacy in Denmark since inception. Her major research interests are: user perspectives on medicines, popular perceptions and attitudes versus medicines, children's medicine use, development of knowledge on medicines' safety, medicines in developing countries. She has published extensively on these and other topics and is frequently invited to speak to Danish and international audiences.

Received 10 November 2006; Revised 10 November 2006.

Abstract

The objective of the study was to examine patients' acceptance of and attitudes towards a new tablet reminder and protective device. The study was designed as an internet survey. Respondents entering the survey site received an introduction, an animated presentation of a tablet reminder device and a questionnaire consisting of close-ended questions, followed by open-ended questions. The survey was completed by 403 respondents. The overall assessment of the functions of the device, its usefulness and design were very positive, with few negative comments. Of the respondents, 87 per cent found the tablet card protection to be excellent or acceptable and 85 per cent of all respondents found the reminder function excellent or acceptable. The feedback function received 80 per cent positive answers. Usefulness and design were assessed comparably. Respondents older than 60 years and respondents receiving more than six different medications a day assessed the device less positively. Only the oldest patients assessed the protective function of the device significantly less positive. Otherwise, no significant differences could be found. The majority of respondents, users as well as non-users, irrespective of their demographic and socio-economic background, reported a high acceptance of the device functions, its usefulness and design. The concept of the device is less appropriate for patients receiving more than six different medications. Patients acceptance of medical devices is crucial for devices used in everyday life. Hence, an attractive design and an easy to understand functionality are crucial for new medical devices.