PharmAssist 약물 관리 기기 by Muriel Shields and Dosun Shin is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award 철상 in 가전제품 디자인 Competition Category.
철가전제품· 2020
PharmAssist 약물 관리 기기
by Muriel Shields and Dosun Shin
Client: Arizona State University
A' Design Award 철상 Winner in 가전제품 Category
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The Design
About PharmAssist 약물 관리 기기
PharmAssist는 가정용 자동 약물 관리 기기입니다. 두께가 얇은 이 장치는 일반적인 정수·제빙 디스펜서를 대신하여 가정용 냉장고 전면부에 장착됩니다. 처방된 약은 호환 가능한 약병에 담겨 배송되며, 이 약병을 기기에 삽입하면 NFC 칩을 통해 정보가 인식됩니다. 시각 및 음성 알림이 제공되고, 미리 설정된 시간에 측면 배출구를 통해 약이 배출됩니다. 재처방 요청은 약국으로 자동 전송됩니다. 이 디자인은 고령자가 가정에서 안전하게 약을 관리할 수 있도록 돕습니다.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award 철상
PharmAssist 약물 관리 기기, 이 작품은 A' Design Award 철상 수상작으로, 잘 디자인된 창작물에 기대되는 전문적·산업적 요건을 충족하는 좋은 디자인에 수여되는 권위 있는 인정입니다. 철상 수상작은 창작자의 뛰어난 기술, 높은 전문성, 전문가다운 이해, 창의적 역량을 보여 줍니다. PharmAssist 약물 관리 기기, 이 작품은 높이 평가받고 감탄과 사랑을 받는 창작물로서 실용적이고 혁신적일 것으로 기대됩니다. 이 철상 수상 디자인은 업계 모범 사례를 통합하며 노하우와 재능으로 연결된 유능한 기술적 특성을 갖추고 있습니다. PharmAssist 약물 관리 기기, 이 작품은 철저함으로 존중받으며 삶의 질을 개선하여 세상을 더 나은 곳으로 만들도록 디자인되었습니다.
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
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