The intelligent medical box allows doctors to manage methadone after it is taken home by the client.

The box has 4 -6 compartments and health workers can put a daily dose of methadone in each compartment for the clients to take home 4-6 days of dosage. Clients can only open one compartment of the box per day, with a pin code sent in an SMS message sent to the phone or with their fingerprint. The software developed for the box can also help health providers to manage the methadone treatment records and monitor the adherence of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) clients. The software can also identify clients with decreasing MMT compliance and who maybe at risk of relapsing to problematic drug use. Health workers and peer counsellors can focus on these clients and provide them with tailored case management support.

The model has been piloted in Yuxi city in Yunnan province, China, and is now being taking to more than 20 methadone clinics in the country, serving more than 600 clients