Optical Dose Measurement for Injection Pen Adherence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patients with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, face challenges in accurately recording and managing their medication doses using injection pens, leading to incomplete dosage records and increased healthcare costs due to non-adherence to treatment schedules.
Innovation Solution
A dose measurement system that includes light sources and sensors to measure the remaining liquid volume in drug delivery devices, converting detected radiation signatures into volume data, and communicating this information to external devices for patient monitoring and adherence tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual logging of dose information is used, then patients can record medication doses, but the process is tedious and error-prone leading to incomplete dosage records
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic dose information capture through optical scanning of the injection pen components. The sensor device reads dosage information directly from the pen without requiring patient input, making the system self-servicing and eliminating manual logging errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical logging processes with an optical sensing system. The sensor device uses light sources and photodetectors to automatically capture and transmit dosage information, substituting the manual writing or digital entry process with an automated optical recognition system.
2Reliability
If patients self-administer medication without monitoring, then treatment autonomy is maintained, but adherence to dosage schedules decreases leading to increased healthcare costs
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time feedback to both patients and healthcare providers about dosage administration status. The sensor device captures dose information and transmits it through a communication interface, enabling monitoring and adherence tracking without complex centralized systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection pen integrates multiple functions including medication delivery, dose information storage, and automatic sensing capabilities. The single device serves as both the medication administrator and the data source, eliminating the need for separate monitoring equipment.
3Ease of operation
If optical sensors are used to measure liquid volume, then non-invasive measurement is achieved, but signal detection accuracy must be maintained through proper optical coupling
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses optical coupling elements as intermediaries between the light sources and the liquid being measured. These coupling elements facilitate efficient light transmission through the liquid while maintaining non-invasive measurement, ensuring both ease of operation and measurement precision.
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
The system improves patient adherence to medication schedules by providing accurate dose tracking and alerts, reducing hospital visits and healthcare costs through enhanced data management and monitoring.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of light sources which are disposed and configured to emit electromagnetic radiation toward the container. A plurality of sensors are optically coupleable to the plurality of light sources and are disposed and configured to detect the electromagnetic radiation emitted by at least a portion of the light sources
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments described herein generally relate to devices, systems and methods for measuring the dose remaining in a drug delivery device that is used for delivering a dose to a patient. In some embodiments, a dose measurement system for measuring the liquid volume in a container includes a plurality of light sources which are disposed and configured to emit electromagnetic radiation toward the container. A plurality of sensors are located in the apparatus that are optically coupleable to the plurality of light sources and are disposed and configured to detect the electromagnetic radiation emitted by at least a portion of the light sources. The apparatus also includes a processing unit configured to receive data representing the portion of the detected electromagnetic radiation from each of the plurality of sensors. The processing unit is further operable to convert the received data into a signature representative of the electromagnetic radiation detected by the plurality of sensors.