Medi-marker/manager
Design of a product to support safe and convenient use of the medication roll, a study of medication distribution to patients
Information
Author: Van der Kaaij, L.J.L.M.
Contributor: Gemser, G., Albayrak, A., De Laat, J.M.
Faculty: Industrial Design Engineering
Department: Product Innovation Management
Programme: Master of Science Integrated Product Design
Type: Master thesis
Date: 29-8-2011
Keywords: Medication safety | Therapy compliance | Medication roll | Product design | Dispenser | Elderly | Home
Abstract
Since the Dutch society has to deal with ageing of the population and the amount of healthcare requests is increasing more and more, medication safety at home gained high priority. The introduction of the medication roll, in which pills for one administration moment are packaged in a plastic pouch, already supported patients in their therapy compliance. However, some other disadvantages stick to the use of the medication roll that also threaten medication safety.
Out of the literature and user research followed that the inconvenience of pouch opening, not remembering of the administration times and forgetting of the separate medication are the main weaknesses of the medication roll. Current medication roll dispensers do not offer a solution to all these problems. The basic dispensers do not offer more functionalities than storage, wile others take nearly all the responsibility of medication use out of the patient’s hands. It was the design goal to fill this gap with having back in mind that responsibility regarding medication use should only be taken off from patients when they are not able to manage it their selves, to keep their self-respect.
At the start of the concept development two design challenges were formulated: supporting of convenient pouch distribution (opening and emptying of the pouches) and supporting of therapy compliance and awareness for all the medication. The final design consists of two product parts: the Medi-Manager and the Medi-Marker. The Medi-Manager contains a manual cutting principle and pill catcher that provides support in handling of the medication roll pouches. The dispenser can be extended with a display module that presents the administration scheme to the patient and that is wirelessly connected to the Medi-Marker. The Medi-Marker is a reminder alarm, based on a colored light and sound, that can be placed on one or more strategic places in the house. The alarm from the Medi-Marker can only be turned of by confirmation on the Medi-Manager. It is assumed that patients will be activated by this fact and that the chance of proper medication administration increases. This vision is summarized in the term RAISE: Reminding, Activating, Informing, Supporting and Evaluating. In this way the final product design is an integral solution, because it supports the administration itself (with distribution and emptying of the pouch), it indicates what should be administered (by presentation of the pharmacotherapy) and when this should be administered (reminder). Good collaboration with medication roll producers, pharmacists and homecare organizations is considered to be inevitable for proper implementation of this product-service system. Convincing inspection institutions and health insurances of the product’s benefits might also accelerate the product acceptation.
