System for hospital pharmacies 2003

    
       
 

 
 
The aim was to apply most of the methods learned during the Master program at Institute of Design to improve a hospital pharmacy
 
The project was part of Research and Demonstration Course at Institute of Design, a two semester long class that involved secondary research, user observation, identifying issues and writing design criteria, creating scenarios and product concept sketches, building behavioral prototypes and testing them with users. 3D renderings were created for the final design.
Research and observation
The topic was a hospital pharmacy and
in order to get real world data, research
and observation was conducted at Rush
-Presbyterian hospital in Chicago. Field
observation was developed into a map
of the drug processing system (fig. 2.1).
Through analysis of this observation
insights were drawn and developed
into design criteria which drove the
ideation phase of the project.
 
  fig. 2.2 Panoramic view showing the different areas and their
specific function in the pharmacy. A floor plan image was also
included with references to the corresponding activities for a
better spacial understanding of the place.		  
fig. 2.1 Map of the drug processing system at Rush-Presbyterian Hospital.
 
 
 
       
     
 
Final design
Product development
SafeMed is a mobile verification system designed for hospital pharmacists. It consists of a handheld container used to verify and transport drugs throughout the pharmacy. Radio Frequency(RF)-labeled medications are easily identified by an RF reader and information regarding the order and
patient is displayed on a digital
interface. Fixed containers used
for temporary storage of medicines
requiring verification are placed
throughout the pharmacy at drug
preparation stations. The overall
result is increased efficiency
in drug preparation and a reduction
in drug error.
    From the developed design
criteria, two differing
scenarios of the drug
verification process were
created. These lead to the
building of concept sketches
and then to behavioral
prototypes which were
then taken to the pharmacy
at Rush-Presbyterian
Hospital, field tested and
evaluated. The results were
incorporated into the final
product.
 
Fixed container
for problematic
medications.
Fixed container
for medications
requiring
verification.
Mobile container
for verified
medications.