Smart MEDS: Medicine E-lert Dispensing System
Over 35,000 people in the United States died from drug overdose in 2017. The number of deaths has increased 3 fold from 2002. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) about 50% of the deaths in 2015-2017 are due to prescribed Opioid overdose.
Several factors contribute to the overdose of prescription medication. Among the older population (55 and over) accidental overdose is a leading reason for death. Memory loss and forgetfulness are some of the primary causes for overdose. I used readily available technology to make a device that will dispense medicine only when it is time for the next dosage and alert the patient if the medication has been already taken or is due to be taken. This device would be sealed with the medicine and the dosage timing programmed in by either the pharmacist or the doctor.
The prototype releases medicine only when it is time for the medicine and will not allow the patient access to the next dose before the appropriate time. This is a fairly inexpensive device that can be rented out by the pharmacy or the doctor’s office when they prescribe strong medications. It could also be reprogrammed to adjust the dosage remotely if needed. This should help reduce the number of accidental medicine overdose.
Final Prototype with LED Lights and a buzzer
