Medication-Coated Utensils for Adherence Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Poor medication adherence, particularly in patients with dementia or dysphagia, due to complex adherence protocols and cumbersome pill-centric regimens, leads to significant human and financial burdens, exacerbated by the challenges of remote monitoring in tele-medicine.
Innovation Solution
Development of utensils coated with medication or supplements using solvent-free deposition methods, allowing for direct ingestion during meals, along with a system for tracking adherence through augmented utensils that include active and inactive ingredients, and a computing device for monitoring and providing adherence scores.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pill-centric drug regimens are used, then medication delivery is standardized, but adherence becomes cumbersome for patients with dementia, dysphagia, or intransigence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the medication from the traditional pill form and transfers it onto utensils (spoons, forks, chopsticks) that patients already use during meals. This extraction allows the medication to be delivered in a more natural, less cumbersome manner that does not require complex adherence protocols, directly addressing the difficulty patients with dementia, dysphagia, or intransigence have with traditional pill regimens
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces utensils as an intermediary carrier between the medication and the patient. Instead of giving pills directly to patients who may refuse or have difficulty swallowing them, the medication is deposited on utensils that are already part of the mealtime routine, making ingestion more natural and adhering to the mealtime schedule without requiring complex protocols
2Extent of automation
If remote monitoring of patients is increased, then tele-medicine capabilities are improved, but mechanisms for determining adherence are lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates detection stages that scan the utensils to detect whether medication has been consumed. This feedback mechanism provides objective adherence data to healthcare providers, eliminating the loss of information that occurs when relying on patient self-reporting. The system automatically tracks and reports adherence status, enabling effective remote monitoring without requiring patients to recount their adherence
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of patient self-reporting with an automated detection system that uses scanning technology to objectively determine medication consumption. This substitution provides reliable adherence data for remote monitoring, eliminating the information loss associated with unreliable patient recollections and enabling effective tele-medicine
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple medications requiring multiple pills are prescribed, then treatment comprehensiveness is improved, but medication adherence becomes too cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple medications onto a single utensil or combines multiple utensils into a single mealtime administration event. This consolidation allows patients to receive comprehensive medication treatment without the burden of managing multiple separate pill regimens, making adherence feasible even when multiple medications are prescribed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the utensil a multi-functional object that serves both as a dining tool and as a medication delivery vehicle. This universality allows the same utensil to deliver one or multiple medications while maintaining the natural dining routine, eliminating the need for separate medication administration procedures and making comprehensive medication regimens manageable
4Ease of operation
If caregivers physically handle medications and food, then patient care is provided, but physical contact risks increase during the COVID-19 pandemic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable or individually packaged utensils that are pre-loaded with medication. These single-use utensils eliminate the need for caregivers to physically handle and transfer medications, reducing physical contact risk during the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining effective patient care delivery
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Increased medication adherence and improved sanitation, with the system providing a means to track and ensure timely medication intake, reducing physical contact risks during the COVID-19 pandemic, and offering a subscription service for timely delivery and post-use assessment.
Implementation Method 1
one or more coatings containing one or more active ingredients (Als) and/or inactive ingredients (excipients) are deposited onto utensils
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are systems for tracking patient medication protocol adherence, the system comprising a computing device for tracking the amount of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (Al) to be administered to the subject using an augmented utensil comprising a layered Al delivery structure formed. Also disclosed are methods of customizing drug delivery, and augmented utensils and methods of making the same.