Medical Adherence Device with Sensor-Enabled Sharps Bin Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sharps bins do not allow for the tracking of medication adherence by patients at home, as they are sealed during collection, making it impossible to determine the number of used syringes or needles disposed of, which is a challenge for healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies.
Innovation Solution
A medical adherence docking system comprising a sharps bin and a docking station with sensors and a channel that records information about medical waste products before they are disposed of, including date, time, weight, and photographic images, and communicates this data to a cloud-based application for monitoring and reporting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sharps bins are sealed during collection to ensure safety and prevent contamination, then safety and hygiene are improved, but the ability to track medication adherence and determine the number of syringes/needles disposed of is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by capturing images and recording data about the sharps bin contents before sealing occurs. The camera takes photographs and sensors record weight and other characteristics of the syringes/needles before they are disposed of, preserving information about medication adherence while maintaining safety through subsequent sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates copies of information about the sharps bin contents through digital imaging and data recording. Instead of needing to physically inspect or open the sealed bin, the system uses previously captured images and recorded data to track and analyze the disposed medical waste, thereby maintaining both safety and information availability.
2Reliability
If the entire sharps bin is incinerated to ensure complete disposal and safety, then safety and hygiene are improved, but the ability to verify and track the number of medical waste items is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary documentation by capturing images and recording data about the sharps bin contents before incineration. The camera takes photographs and sensors record weight and characteristics of the medical waste, creating a permanent record that verifies the number and type of items incinerated while maintaining hygiene through complete destruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback about the incineration process by comparing the recorded pre-incineration data with post-incineration verification. The captured images and weight records serve as feedback to confirm that the expected amount of medical waste was properly disposed of, enabling verification while maintaining hygiene through complete incineration.
3Loss of information
If sensors and recording devices are added to track medical waste before disposal, then medication adherence tracking is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The docking station is designed as a multi-functional device that combines several capabilities: it serves as a disposal container for sharps, a weighing scale for monitoring weight changes, a photography studio for capturing images, and a data processing center. By integrating these functions into a single universal device, the system improves adherence tracking while managing complexity through consolidation rather than separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the sharps bin, camera system, weight sensors, and data processing capabilities into a single integrated docking station. This consolidation combines multiple functions that would otherwise require separate devices, improving adherence tracking capability while controlling overall system complexity through unified design.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for a medical adherence device. A medical adherence device includes a sharps bin, and an enclosure, the enclosure configured to display information on an output screen, receive medical waste and record information about the medical waste as the medical waste drops into the sharps bin.