A pill organiser (or pill organizer), pill container, dosette box, pillcase or pillbox is a multicompartment compliance aid for storing scheduled doses of

medication A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and ...

s. Pill organisers usually have square-shaped compartments for each day of the week, although other more compact and discreet versions have come to market, including cylindrical and pen-shaped cases. Some organisers have sections corresponding to times of the day. Pill organisers are viewed as a way to prevent or reduce medication errors on the part of the patient, though evidence of effectiveness is not strong and they have been linked to medication errors.

Usage

Pill organisers are useful for all types of

patient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other hea ...

s, including the elderly, those who have memory deficiencies, and those taking multiple medications as an aid in remembering to take proper doses of their medications in compliance with their doctor's recommended dose. They allow a patient to know whether or not they have taken a particular dose of their medication; if a pill still remains in its compartment, it is apparent that it has not yet been taken, whereas if it is missing, it has already been taken. Pill organisers often have various features to make them easier for special-needs patients to use, such as color-coding,

Braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille disp ...

for the blind, or a locking mechanism to prevent double dosing. Some organisers used for

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

patients have sections for insulin and

hypodermic syringe A syringe is a simple reciprocating pump consisting of a plunger (though in modern syringes, it is actually a piston) that fits tightly within a cylindrical tube called a barrel. The plunger can be linearly pulled and pushed along the inside o ...

s. Some pharmacists will pre-load pills into pill organisers for their patients, as a convenient service.

Electronic pill organisers

Electronic pill organisers,

pill dispenser Pill dispensers are items which release medication at specified times, to assist patients in adhering to their prescribed medication regime. They may also alert the patient that it is time to take the medication. Some devices can alert a monitorin ...

s, and

pill reminder A pill reminder is any device that reminds users to take medications. Traditional pill reminders are pill containers with electric timers attached, which can be preset for certain times of the day to set off an alarm. More sophisticated pill re ...

s have been developed that alert patients when their

prescription medication A prescription drug (also prescription medication or prescription medicine) is a pharmaceutical drug that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs can be obtained without a prescription. The r ...

, OTC medication, or daily

food supplement A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement one's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources or that are synthetic in order ...

s must be taken. These devices have been credited with saving lives and saving money in the health care system. Advanced models can be linked via the Internet to a medical facility, to aid in monitoring and reminding a patient to take his/her medications.

Legality

In some jurisdictions in the United States possession of prescription drugs in a pill organiser is a crime, and people have been prosecuted for it. The legal theory is that since the drug is not in the package it was dispensed in by the pharmacy, and since it is not "in use" (e.g., swallowed), it is unlawfully possessed. The affirmative defence, that the possessor has a valid prescription for the drug in question, is not always accepted by the court.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Clinical pharmacology Dosage forms Pharmacy Medicine storage containers