From a design perspective there has been a
gradual consumerisation of most medical
products. Patients and clinicians are consumers, and there is a growing awareness
and demand for good design in all aspects
of life. Since the explosion of mass consumption and the globalisation of brands
in the “designer 1980s,” consumers expect
the phones we use, the products we buy
for our homes and the tools we use for
work to be well designed and, therefore,
they do not want to be stigmatised as sick
or different by products we use to maintain our health.
Hearing aids have gone through an
interesting evolution. In the past, hear-
ing aid wearers were instantly recognised
as the people with the beige ear plug and
cable leading to the small beige box in
their pocket. Now it is almost a social
uniform to have white earplugs and cable
leading to a white (or brightly coloured
device) in your pocket. It is estimated that
approximately 70% of people who should
be using a hearing aid still do not and the
majority of these do not because of the
associated stigma. Even though advances
in battery and digital technology have
now enabled miniaturised devices to be
produced that are almost invisible in the
ear, there is still an adoption issue that
needs to be overcome. The solution obvi-
ously goes beyond the product. To address
these kinds of issues, companies have
to understand the relationship between
people and products from a cultural per-
spective. The science of semiotics can be
employed to understand the subconscious
codes to ensure that target users react to
products in the desired way across differ-
ent markets.
FlexiForce® sensors are conomical, reliable, and easily integrated into your OEM or medical product. Whether you’re assessing biofeedback from a prosthetic or evaluating peristaltic pump ;;;;;;;HI¿FLHQF\;;)OH[L)RUFH® can be ;;;;FXVWRPL]HG;WR;¿W;\RXU;QHHGV;;
lexiForce ®phone: 617.464.4500
phone: 617.464.4500 toll-free: 800.248.3669 email: marketing@tekscan.com ;;;;;;;;;ZHE;;ZZZ;WHNVFDQ;FRP;ÁH[LIRUFH;KWPO SURVWKHWLF;ÀW;ELRIHHGEDFN F
© Otto Bock HealthCare
medical design
load sensing solution medical products.
NovoPen ( www.novonordisk.com) in 1985
paved the way. Now, many blood glucose
monitors are difficult to distinguish from
MP3 players.
Designers have made it easier for people
to administer their therapy. The big challenge now is how to inform and encourage people to maintain adherence to their
therapy and manage their condition. There
is a lot of interest in the area of telehealth,
e-medicine and connectivity in relation
to well-being and compliance monitoring. The telecoms infrastructure exists to
allow it all to happen, and systems such
as the Vitality GlowCap ( www.vitality.
net) claim 85% adherence rates. GlowCap is an Internet-connected pill bottle
cap. It illuminates, plays a melody, and
even rings a home phone so patients don’t
forget to take their medication. It can send
weekly emails to remote caregivers, create
accountability with doctors through an
adherence report, and automatically refill
prescriptions.
Bayer has introduced DIDGET (www.
bayer.com) to encourage diabetic children
to be compliant with their blood glucose
monitoring. The device interfaces with a
Nintendo games console and children can
earn reward points for blood glucose test
results within their personalised target
range, the number of tests per day and
the minimum time between tests. They
can also earn bonus points for consistently testing at least three times per day
every day for at least one week, and up to
90 days. Children can use these points to
purchase items in the games, unlock mini-games and customise their experience on
Bayer’s DIDGET World.
The company has realised that it must
consider the needs of children and adults
in different ways. The technology is the
enabler, but it must be pitched at the level
that is appropriate for the target end user
groups. To meet the needs of the diabetics
who want to really manage their condition, they have developed Contour USB.
This is a blood glucose monitor that enables the patient to plug the device directly
into a computer and download test results
and monitor compliance.
