Thomas Debelder

Pillassist is a unique medication reminder specialized for seniors, people with memory problems and people who have difficulty with smartphone.

Take this way people get the right medication.

This PillAssist thesis was created in the context of obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Interactive Multimedia Design. In this document I want to give you further insight, which steps have been taken to arrive at the final product.

The challenge

Our PillAssist project was created through the genuine search and investigation of problems that are still there and that are still unsolved.

The problem we have focused on is that too many people die or end up in the hospital due to poor medication use.

This problem is also most common in older people who have a complicated medication schedule. They also find it very difficult to use the applications and such that are available on the market. This is because the seniors are not really busy with all the modernization that is occurring plays with regard to the computer, smartphone, tablet ...

The seniors therefore often depend on the family doctor or the family who must supervise the consistent use of their medication. Many seniors also insist on their independence and do not often want to admit that they need help.

The solution

PillAssist is on the one hand a web application in which you can manage the medication schedules of different seniors. This web application would mainly be used by nurses, informal caregivers, family doctors and of course the family members of the senior. They can add and edit the medication, they also have the option to receive notifications when important medication is not taken. This allows them to better follow up on how they are taking their medication and where there may be problems.

The other part of our product is a kind of simplified smartwatch for seniors. This looks like a digital watch but gives notifications when medication needs to be taken. They must indicate this when the medication has been taken. The notifications can be set per senior, for example, it can be ensured that the watch vibrates, makes a noise or gives light signals. In this way we can tailor a solution for everyone. The watch and web application are linked to each other by means of an API in which all medications are listed per senior.

The aim of our bachelor thesis is to demonstrate the potential of the concept on the basis of our "minimum viable product". Of course we have also developed a business model that makes it possible to commercialize this product. In addition, we have tested a lot with the target group