Medication Alert Announcer with Remote Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patients often fail to adhere to recommended medication dosing schedules, leading to reduced efficacy or safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
An alert announcer system comprising a primary unit and medication modules that generate and transmit alerts via a transmitting channel, allowing users to selectively alter alert intensity and record tag data, ensuring timely medication administration based on predefined dosing schedules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a medication dosing schedule system is implemented, then patient compliance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional modules: a medication module with multiple compartments for different medications, a primary unit for generating and transmitting alerts, and a remote unit for receiving alerts. Each module operates independently but communicates through standardized signals, allowing the system to maintain high reliability through specialized functions while managing complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
A transmitting channel acts as an intermediary between the medication module and the primary unit, and between the primary unit and the remote unit. This mediator handles the communication protocol and data transmission, isolating the complexity of inter-module communication from the individual modules themselves and simplifying their design while ensuring reliable operation.
2Ease of operation
If customizable alert intensity and tag data recording features are added, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alert system provides dynamic adjustability of alert intensity through user-responsive means that allow patients to customize the strength and type of alerts according to their needs. The system can adapt between different alert modes (visual, auditory, tactile) and intensity levels, making it easier to operate for different users while the underlying complexity is managed through software configuration rather than hardware variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes automatic tag data recording and forwarding capabilities that operate without requiring manual intervention. The primary unit automatically records tag data associated with module alert signals and forwards this data when alerts are generated, reducing the operational burden on patients while the automated data management handles the complexity in the background.
3Productivity
If monitoring of multiple medicine dosing schedules is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The medication module is designed with universal functionality to monitor multiple different medication dosing schedules simultaneously. Each compartment can be configured for different medications with different dosing requirements, and the system handles all schedules through a unified alert generation and transmission mechanism, improving productivity by managing multiple medications through a single integrated system rather than requiring separate devices for each medication.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are embodiments of an alert announcer system with and without a remote unit which alerts a person at medicine dosing times. The system comprises a primary unit; one or more medication modules, wherein each medication module has a plurality of medicine compartments; one alert device is attached to each medicine container monitored by the system; and optionally a remote unit. Medicine containers each have an alert device attached which executes a dosing schedule appropriate to the medicine in the container and produces an alert at medicine dosing times according to each individual dosing schedule. Medicine containers with attached alert devices are placed in or on the medication modules in predetermined physical locations. Medication modules detect alerts pertaining to each medicine container and transmit those alerts to the primary unit where an amplified sensible alert is generated to alert the user that it is time to take a dose of medicine. The primary unit may relay alerts to remote units or send notification via phone, text, mail or any other electronic means of communication.