Optical Code Label for Medication Adherence Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lack of compliance with scheduled medication dosages leads to detrimental health consequences and the development of antibiotic resistance, necessitating a simple and inexpensive method to validate and monitor patient adherence to prescription regimens.
Innovation Solution
A machine-readable optical code label is affixed to the interior surface of medication containers, allowing a mobile device to scan and verify dosage administration, generating alerts for deviations from the scheduled regimen without requiring external network access, and providing secure communication of sensitive health information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a machine-readable optical code label is affixed to the interior surface of medication containers, then patient compliance is enhanced and dosage verification is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The optical code label is nested inside the medication container, placed on interior surfaces such as the bottom or sidewalls. This nesting approach allows the verification system to be integrated within the existing container structure without adding external components, thereby enhancing compliance verification while minimizing increases in overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The optical code label serves as an intermediary element that bridges the medication container and the verification system. By encoding dosage information and patient identifiers on the label, it enables automated verification through mobile devices without requiring complex integration between the container and monitoring systems
2Measurement precision
If the optical code label is placed on the interior surface of the container, then dosage verification is enabled, but the label may be occluded by remaining pills or capsules
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies placing the optical code label on the interior bottom surface of the container, which is a location less likely to be occluded by medication. This strategic positioning ensures that the label remains accessible to scanning devices while maintaining its verification function, balancing readability requirements with the need for dosage validation
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the optical code label is placed on the cap interior surface, then visual occlusion by remaining pills is avoided, but caps may be interchanged between bottles causing misidentification
Solution Approach 1:
The optical code label is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides unique identification for the specific medication bottle, encodes dosage information, and enables verification of patient compliance. By integrating these functions into a single label system placed on the container body rather than the cap, the solution prevents cap interchangeability issues while maintaining label accessibility for scanning
Data Source
AI summary
A medication container for validating self-administration of prescription medication by a patient wherein the prescription medication is administered over a series of timed dosages. A machine-readable optical code label such as a QR Code is affixed to an interior surface of a medication container containing the medication such as the interior of the bottle cap. The container must be open to electronically read the optical code label. The label contains data associated with the medication and is read by a software application installed on a smartphone. The software receives the label-embedded data and a timestamp to validate the patient is self-administering the medication consistent with the series of timed dosages.