1. The MedDispenser Improving Medication Compliance for the Elderly
Group:
Ashley Hammann
Darnita Mims
Connie Saelzler
Annie Suarez
Advisor:
Richard Fries, Datex Ohmeda

2. The Elderly and Medication Regime Adherence
When a patient is asked to take a medication 3 or more times a day, less than 50% of patients can comply with those instructions.
The more medications added to a patient’s therapy, the lower the chance of a patient taking all the medications correctly.

3. Need for a Device
In order to improve the efficacy of medication regimes, medication must be taken:
At the correct times
In the correct dosages
According to pharmacist advice
Therefore, a medication dispenser with the ability to ensure medication is taken correctly is needed.

4. Purpose The MedDispenser will:
Dispense the correct medications at the correct time in the correct dosages
In order to avoid over- dosages, forgetfulness, and drug side effects from incorrectly following pharmacist’s and doctor’s directions

5. Proposed Design
Each medication will be distributed into separate slots of a container
The prescription definition will be saved in the device’s memory
The correct medication and dosage will be dispensed at the correct time
Each prescription type will be allotted a separate level in the tower

6. Past Work Creation and distribution of a Potential Customer Survey
Creation and distribution of a Health Care Provider Survey
Meeting with Philip E. Johnston, Pharm. D. at the Department of Pharmaceutical Services at VUH

7. Current Work Collection of both surveys
Compilation of Data from surveys
Further research into more concrete design specifications

8. Future Work Design specifications will be defined
Computer model including user interface
A critique by healthcare providers
An actual prototype of the device