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Student invents programmable pill dispenser for her grandmother

Shared by Ana Duarte on 2015-09-14 17:16

About the solution

The programmable pill dispenser involves a smart card and a pill dispenser. The PillAid was developed during her final year studying design at London’s Brunel University. The main purpose is to help the elderly.

“It’s a programmable pill dispenser and medicated management system for elderly people, aimed to improve communication between all groups involved in the process — including GPs (general practitioners), hospital doctors, pharmacists, the patients themselves and caregivers,” she told CNN.

When the patient goes to the doctor, they receive a personalized smart card. The doctor has a smart card reader and loads any prescription information onto the card. The patient then takes the card to her pharmacy, who also has a smart card reader, and using information on the card, dispenses the prescribed medication into a pill dispenser.

The programmable pill dispenser has a tiny microchip built inside. The programmable pill dispenser will read information on the card when it is inserted into the automatic pill dispenser. It automatically alerts the patient when it is time to take their medication and informs them whether they need to take their pills with food or water.

“The patient’s GP can also have a look at the smart card to see whether they have been taking their medication at regular intervals,” the student said.

Adapted from: https://cnn.it/2GQXxC7

This solution shall not include mention to the use of drugs, chemicals or biologicals (including food); invasive devices; offensive, commercial or inherently dangerous content. This solution was not medically validated. Proceed with caution! If you have any doubts, please consult with a health professional.

DISCLAIMER: This story was written by someone who is not the author of the solution, therefore please be advised that, although it was written with the utmost respect for the innovation and the innovator, there can be some incorrect statements. If you find any errors please contact the patient Innovation team via info@patient-innovation.com

About the author

Katrin Svabo Bech, born in 1982, in the UK, was a design graduate who created, in 2004, a programmable pill dispenser, called PillAid, that it will prompt patients to take the correct medication, in the correct amount at the correct time. Bech came up with the idea after visiting her grandmother, who had had a stroke. “She was on a lot of medication and I thought it would be great to create something that could make her life easier, so that she could keep her independence, so she could feel confident in herself.”

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