MediBuddy | bethcastleman

A digital medical wristband for the 21st Century

There are many dangers that can compromise

patient safety in emergency rooms. A

digital wristband will reduce time & human error while collecting patient medical information.

Problem Space

Many of these medical errors

occur when medical staff

do not read a patient’s chart

or medical wristband. Here

are the top three medical

errors in the ER and ICU.

Nurses can see which colored bands the patient

wears. These can easily be

removed like Lego pieces.

Red: Allergies

Yellow: Fall Risk
Green: Latex Allergy
Purple: Do Not Resuscitate

Nurses can see who the wristband belongs to.

Patients can use the red button

to call for help

or ask questions.

They can also view a patient’s age, date of birth, identification

number, medical history summary, and

medicine summary.

Studies suggest that medical errors are now the leading cause

of death in the United States. There are multiple dangers

that can compromise patient safety n emergency room environments. As designers, there are many solutions that we can create

to help improve patient safety within these environments.

People with certain medical conditions wear medical identifications

(ID’s) to alert emergency medical professionals about their
conditions in an emergency. hose who have allergies, cardiac issues (arrhythmias, heart disease, pacemakers), pulmonary
conditions (asthma), diabetes, Alzheimer’s (dementia), hearing issues, special needs, and others could benefit from specially
designed medical identifications (American Medical-Id, 2014).

The most common are bracelets, necklaces, Quick Response (QR) stickers, Near Field Communication (NFC) tags, or Universal

Serial Bus (USB) drives that indicate to medical professionals the patient has an important medical condition that requires

attention. These are made from stainless steel, sterling silver, or silicone rubber (Omics Group, 2014).

USB IDs are becoming popular due to being able to hold more information that is important to the patient’s medical condition. These devices are removable, rewriteable, smaller, and faster. USB drives last longer; are more durable; are immune to scratches; and are less susceptible

to electronic hacking.

The devices hold transferable data such as medications, pre-existing conditions, doctor and emergency contacts, Magnetic Resonance

Imaging (MRI), Computer Tomography (CT) scans, x-rays, test results, allergies, date of birth, insurance, and more. This gives emergency responders instant access to valuable patient information

and reduces the risk of medical errors caused by humans working

in fast-paced environments.

Another popular option over medical jewelry is QR Code alert stickers. Emergency care responders prefer these. Over fourteen million

people have scanned a QR or barcode in recent years (Omics Group, 2014).
Approximately, 58% of users have scanned them at home, and 39%

of users have scanned them at retail stores (Omics Group, 2014).

These codes can be used to direct users, such as emergency responders, to websites with patient information by using a computer, tablet,
or smart phone (Omics Group, 2014).

Another advantage is that QR codes and NFC tags are easily accessible with smart phones by using an app. This allows for an unlimited

amount of storage for important information (Omics Group, 2014).

The problem with existing digital options is that it is not currently

available in hospitals. So patients have to carry it into the
the hospital environment. Having these new options for all patients

in the hospital would greatly reduce human error in ERs and ICUs.