NEW YORK, Mar 16 (Reuters Health) - A paging system may help people whose memory has been impaired by injury or stroke to remain independent, a new study reports.

The NeuroPage system reminds patients to keep appointments or take their medicine via messages sent from a computer at pre-programmed times and dates.

Dr. B. A. Wilson, from Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, UK, and colleagues explain that the paging system provides consistent and reliable prompting and allows users to feel more independent. Usually, patients with memory problems rely on others to help them with daily tasks.

In a 16-week study of 143 people aged 8 to 83 years who had a range of memory and attention problems after head injury or stroke, the device helped more than 80% to carry out routine activities. Fewer than half of these patients had been able to manage such tasks on their own before using the device, the authors note.

Further, nearly 75% of patients were able to sustain their progress after returning the pager, according to the report in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

"It is clear that this particular paging system is of benefit to a wide ranging group of people with brain injury with memory, planning, and organisational problems," Wilson and colleagues write.

"For some of these people, there is no doubt that the system can enhance independent living and improve morale," the authors conclude. The device costs 60 pounds ($86.25) per patient per month, they note.

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