PharmAssist 服薬管理デバイス by Muriel Shields and Dosun Shin

PharmAssist 服薬管理デバイス by Muriel Shields and Dosun Shin is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award 鉄賞 in 家庭用電化製品デザイン Competition Category.

鉄家庭用電化製品· 2020

PharmAssist 服薬管理デバイス

by Muriel Shields and Dosun Shin

Client: Arizona State University

A' Design Award 鉄賞 Winner in 家庭用電化製品 Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

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The Design

About PharmAssist 服薬管理デバイス

PharmAssistは、家庭で使用する自動服薬管理デバイスです。薄型の本体は、家庭用冷蔵庫の前面に、標準的な給水・製氷ディスペンサーに代わって組み込まれます。処方薬は対応するボトルに入って届き、そのボトルを本体に挿入するとNFCチップによって情報が読み取られます。視覚と音声によるアラートが与えられ、あらかじめ設定された時刻に側面のシュートから薬が排出されます。処方薬の補充依頼は薬局へ自動的に送信されます。このデザインは、高齢者が自宅で安全に服薬管理を行えるよう支援します。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 鉄賞

PharmAssist 服薬管理デバイスは、よく設計された創造物に期待される専門的・産業的要件を満たす優れたデザインに授与される、権威ある評価である A' Design Award 鉄賞の受賞作品です。鉄賞の受賞作品は、制作者の高い技量、高度な専門性、専門家としての理解、創造的な能力を示しています。PharmAssist 服薬管理デバイスは、高く評価され、称賛され、愛される、実用的で革新的な創造物であることが期待されます。この A' Design Award 鉄賞を受賞したデザインは、業界のベストプラクティスを統合し、ノウハウと才能に結びついた有能な技術的特性を備えています。PharmAssist 服薬管理デバイスは、その徹底ぶりで尊敬され、世界をより良い場所にするための生活の質の向上をもたらすよう設計されています。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: PharmAssist is an in-home, low-profile, automated medication management device designed to fit in a residential refrigerator in place of a standard water and ice dispensing unit. This system is designed primarily for elderly patients, and emits visual and audio alerts, dispenses medications at pre-programmed times throughout the day, and automatically sends digital refill requests to the patient’s pharmacy.
Dimensions & Packaging: Height 374mm x Width 304mm x Depth 98mm
Tags: Medication, Medication Management, Elderly Care, Geriatric Care, Smart Home, Connected
Production Technology: Interviews with nurses and nursing professors indicated that most existing medication management devices are set up in the kitchen. While sketching and building foam core prototypes, we decided to integrate the device into the front face of the refrigerator to give it a lower-profile and tie it in more seamlessly with the health and wellness hub of the home. After settling in this direction, we created a series of CAD iterations and an appearance model with a professonal prototyping company.
Design Challenge: The primary challenge was designing a device that would encourage rather than demean the user when on display in their home. Several of the geriatric nursing professors at ASU explained many elderly patients hesitate to use existing medication management devices for fear that they will signal a lack of independence to guests entering the home. This influenced the decision to create a functional, yet low profile solution that fits seamlessly into a modern user’s home.
Research: Interviews became the primary type of research for PharmAssist. The intent was to establish the most common risks for aging in place, and collect more information about existing solutions to make this practice safer and more comfortable. Interview questions were prepared beforehand, and all discussions were filmed or voice recorded for reference. Formal interviews were conducted with Geriatric Nursing Professors from Arizona State University’s nursing school, as well as with employees at an assisted living facility in Phoenix. Informal interviews with contacts that had assisted older relatives with in-home care were also taken into account.

After conducting interviews and mapping out all the information collected, three major risks appeared at the forefront – falls, loneliness, and medication mismanagement. Once interviews became more focused, issues with current medication management devices came to light, such as the potential to demean the user, be difficult to operate, and not work in coordination with pharmacies. Though there are many challenges to aging in place, research suggested that improving these devices could assist elderly people with living safely and more comfortably in the environment they call home.
Inspiration: Aging in place is becoming an increasingly popular trend in the United States. Many elderly patients now choose to live at home rather than transition to a nursing home or assisted care facility. Though there are many benefits to staying in the same environment, there are also risks. After conducting interviews at Phoenix-based nursing homes and within Arizona State University’s geriatric nursing program, it became clear that one of the most prominent risks is the mismanagement of medication.
Project Duration: This project was completed at Arizona State University in U.S. from September 2015 to December 2015. PharmAssist was also exhibited at by Model Solution company who fabricated the appearance model in their 2016 showcase at the International IDSA Conference in Detroit in the U.S.
Operation Flow: After the initial setup, the customer will receive all prescriptions in a PharmAssist compatible bottle that is then inserted into the device. PharmAssist will read information off the bottle's NFC chip to emit visual and audio alerts, dispense the user’s medications at pre-programmed times through the left-side chute, and automatically send refill requests to the patient’s pharmacy. This will decrease the amount of human error for elderly patients who choose to administer their own medication.
Team Members: Designer: Muriel Shields
Designer: Dosun Shin
Image Credits: Main Image, Image #1, 2, 3, 4: Muriel Shields
Video Credits: Muriel Shields