Medication Delivery Device with Remote Monitoring and Tamper Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies lack effective oversight and control for patient self-administration of prescription medications, leading to non-adherence and misuse due to lack of direct supervision, especially for dangerous or abusable medications.
Innovation Solution
A medication self-administration device that allows healthcare providers to remotely control and monitor the dosing schedule, quantity, and access to medication, with a monitored subassembly detecting tampering or misuse, ensuring precise administration and secure storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If patients self-administer medications without direct supervision, then patient autonomy and convenience are improved, but medication adherence and safety deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates a monitored subassembly that continuously monitors medication administration and transmits data to a remote server. Healthcare providers receive real-time feedback on patient compliance through the patient management software, enabling them to monitor adherence remotely and intervene when necessary, thus resolving the contradiction between patient autonomy and medication adherence reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a remote server and patient management software as intermediaries between patients and healthcare providers. This intermediary system enables continuous monitoring and communication without requiring direct physical supervision, allowing patients to self-administer while maintaining reliable oversight through digital feedback loops
2Reliability
If healthcare providers remotely monitor and control medication administration, then medication safety and adherence are improved, but device complexity and system requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into distinct functional modules: a patient-side device with monitored subassembly for local monitoring, a remote server for data processing, and patient management software for interface and control. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining safety functions
Solution Approach 2:
The patient management software serves multiple functions including real-time monitoring, data storage, healthcare provider communication, and device control within a single integrated system. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate systems and simplifies the overall architecture while maintaining comprehensive safety oversight
3Reliability
If the device limits patient access to medication and controls dosing parameters, then medication security and control are improved, but patient convenience and ease of use worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables patients to self-administer medication through a simplified interface that provides dosing information and facilitates self-service operations. While the system maintains secure control over medication quantity and timing, the patient interaction layer is designed for convenience, allowing patients to independently operate the device within the prescribed parameters without requiring constant provider intervention
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects and embodiments of the present invention generally include a device for patient self-administration of a prescribed medication. The total quantity of doses to be contained in the device, the quantity of prescribed medication comprising each individual dose, and the dosing schedule, collectively referred to as prescription parameters, are determined and controlled solely by a health care provider (HCP) such as the patient's physician. In accordance with a prescribed dosing schedule, the device makes available for administration the precise quantity of prescribed medication constituting an individual dose. Patient access to the medication as well as patient control of the device is limited solely to the aspects of the device necessary to administer the available dose; that is, the patient has no control over the prescription parameters utilized by the device; that is, the quantity of a dose, the availability of individual doses, the schedule at which the doses are made available to the patient, nor the prescribed medication itself which is contained in the device. Preferably, the device also has a monitored subassembly which detects and transmits relevant device information to a remote management system accessible to the HCP, including detected attempts to alter, access, control or otherwise tamper with the device beyond its prescribed use. Advantageously, HCPs may render sufficient oversight and control over the device and its use to mitigate the risks associated with patients self-administering potentially dangerous or abusable medication without direct, in-person supervision.