The dispensers support individuals in living independently in their own homes for longer periods and have demonstrated that they improve the quality of care while ensuring safe and correct medication administration at the prescribed times.

The medication dispenser works by inserting standard medication rolls into the device. The device reads the information on each medication sachet and dispenses the correct medication at the correct time. The dispenser provides both text and voice instructions in Icelandic. Staff monitor usage through a central system and receive notifications if a service user has not taken their medication, enabling them to respond promptly.

Since medication dispensers were introduced at HSN in May 2022, more than 130,000 medication sachets have been dispensed.

“Our aim was to improve services for our clients while at the same time enabling us to use staff time more efficiently in nursing care,” says Eva Björg Guðmundsdóttir, Head of Home Healthcare at HSN in Akureyri. “We are very satisfied with the outcome. Clients are also pleased and experience increased safety in medication administration, as the dispenser ensures that they receive the correct medication at the right time. Staff have more time for professional tasks, and this has allowed us to further focus our services on those who need them most.”

There are currently 75 medication dispensers in use at HSN, with an average of 186 medication sachets dispensed each day. Each client receives an average of approximately three medication administrations per day.

Medication adherence—meaning how well a client follows their treatment regimen—is over 99.5%, which is an exceptionally strong result. By comparison, overall medication adherence across Evondos is 99.3%.