PharmAssist Galuega Autu: Masini Puleaina o Vailaʻau e Muriel Shields and Dosun Shin

O le mamanu PharmAssist Galuega Autu: Masini Puleaina o Vailaʻau e Muriel Shields and Dosun Shin o se manumalo maualuga tele o le fa'ailoga mamalu 2020 A' Design Award Uʻamea i le Vaega Tauva Mamanu Masini Fale.

UʻameaMasini Fale· 2020

PharmAssist Galuega Autu: Masini Puleaina o Vailaʻau

na mamanuina e Muriel Shields and Dosun Shin

Tagata Fa'atau: Arizona State University

Manumalo o le A' Design Award Uʻamea i le Vaega Masini Fale

13,847

Manumalo Fa'ailoga Fa'amaonia

Fa'amaonia le Tulaga o le Fa'ailoga mo #92102

Va'ai i le A' Design Award Fa'asalalauga Pailesi o le Fa'ailoga

Lanu

Le Mamanu

E Uiga ia PharmAssist Galuega Autu: Masini Puleaina o Vailaʻau

Tusitusiga: O le PharmAssist o se masini otometi mo le puleaina o vailaʻau mo le faaaogaina i totonu o fale. O lenei masini lapotopoto maualalo e fetaui lelei i luma o se pusaaisa masani a le aiga, e sui ai le masini masani mo le tuʻuina mai o le vai ma le aisa. E oo mai talosaga faafomaʻi i totonu o fagu e fetaui ma le masini, lea e faaofi atu i totonu o le masini ma faitauina e ala i se tipiga NFC. E tuʻuina atu ni faailoga vaaia ma leo, ma e tuʻuina atu vailaʻau i taimi ua muai fuafuaina e ala i se ala i le itu o le masini. E lolomiina atu otometi talosaga mo le toe faatumuina o vailaʻau i le fale talimasani vailaʻau. O lenei mamanu e fesoasoani i tagata matutua ina ia latou puleaina saogalemu a latou vailaʻau a o latou i totonu o o latou fale.

Le Fa'ailogaina

E Uiga i le A' Design Award Uʻamea

O le A' Design Award Uʻamea na manumalo ai PharmAssist Galuega Autu: Masini Puleaina o Vailaʻau, o se faamaoniga mamalu e tuuina atu i mamanu lelei e faataunuu ai manaʻoga faapolofesa ma pisinisi e faamoemoeina mai galuega ua mamanuina lelei. O ē manumalo i le Uʻamea e faaalia ai le tomai tele, le faapitoa maualuga, le malamalama o tagata poto ma le mafai fatufatuaʻi o ē na faia. E faamoemoeina PharmAssist Galuega Autu: Masini Puleaina o Vailaʻau e avea ma mea ua matuā vivii, mataʻina ma pelepelea e aogā ma fou. O lenei mamanu na manumalo i le A' Design Award Uʻamea e tuufaatasia ai faiga sili o le pisinisi ma e iai uiga faatekonolosi mafai ua fesoʻotaʻi ma le poto ma le taleni. Ona o lona faatuatuaina, e tatau ai PharmAssist Galuega Autu: Masini Puleaina o Vailaʻau ona faaaloalogia ma ua mamanuina e tuuina mai ai faaleleiga o le olaga e fesoasoani e faia ai e le lalolagi se nofoaga e sili atu ona lelei.

I Tua o le Mamanu

Pepa Fa'asalalau

Fa'amaoniaga, sui o le 'au ma fa'amatalaga fa'atekinisi na saunia e le tagata mamanu.

Uiga Fa'apitoa: 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.
Fua & Fa'apipi'i: Height 374mm x Width 304mm x Depth 98mm
Fa'ailoga: Medication, Medication Management, Elderly Care, Geriatric Care, Smart Home, Connected
Tekonolosi Gaosiga: 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.
Lu'itau o le Mamanu: 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.
Su'esu'ega: 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.
Fa'aosofia: 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.
Umi o le Poloketi: 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.
Fa'agasologa o Galuega: 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.
Sui o le 'Au: Designer: Muriel Shields
Designer: Dosun Shin
Fa'aaloaloga o Ata: Main Image, Image #1, 2, 3, 4: Muriel Shields
Video Credits: Muriel Shields