Design of a novel medicine packaging solution for the elderly

Abstract

Medicine packaging, namely tablet medicine bottles can cause issues for the elderly in daily life, particularly when it comes to their opening mechanisms. This issue is compounded if an elderly person is impaired by conditions affecting cognitive and physical functions, including limited dexterity, strength and mobility in the upper limbs. For this reason, there is a need to design a more user-friendly medicine bottle for this target population whilst maintaining child-resistivity for an element of safety. Therefore, the primary objective of this project was to understand the current issues with medicine bottles, in order to design a novel medicine bottle solution for the elderly. This design must provide a positive user experience for the elderly, be easy and simple to use, and be comfortable to handle and grasp. A literature review of state-of-the-art medicine bottles and their opening mechanisms has been carried out. Current social shifts towards environmental sustainability have also been reviewed, along with applicable standards and regulations to obtain a comprehensive understanding of what the current market is, inclusive of what is typically required of a pharmaceutical medicine bottle. By conforming to the basic design cycle, the Problem Analysis activity was carried out by gathering quantitative data through a study conducted with patients at Karin Grech Hospital. This enabled a better understanding of the necessary requirements and their prioritisation, through which the Product Design Specification was created. The Solution Synthesis activity presented an iterative approach to concept development and Pugh’s Controlled Convergence Matrix method was used as an iterative approach for concept selection, by which the most suitable concept was chosen as the provisional design. The Simulation activity led to alterations in the provisional design, and consequently improvements, through tools such as Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, and simulated using Computer Aided Design to ultimately prototype the final design solution. Finally, an Evaluation activity was carried out to evaluate the final design with the elderly and children through a study conducted with both. The results confirmed the design’s conformance with the primary objective. Additional research must be done to continue to improve the medicine bottle’s effectiveness and efficiency.