Accessible medication packaging
Accessible medication packaging – Universal design of child-resistant packaging for orally ingestible liquid medication
Many people with disabilities of arm, shoulder and hands (DASH) cannot open their own medication. In case of rheuma, 64% of the users need help from their partner or carer. The problem is even bigger when considering child resistant packaging. 74% of users with rheuma have a difficulty opening (cleaning) packaging with child resistant closures. At the moment the University of Twente is working together with ReumaNederland on the design and production of medication packaging that can be easily opened by users with DASH. However, there is currently no accessible design for (orally ingested liquid) medication packaging with child resistant closures.
Together with a person with DASH we co-designed this solution, it includes a child-resitant cap that is screwed into the bottle, it can only be opened with the measuring cup that acts like a key, the shape of the bottom of the cup fitting neatly into the shape of the cap on the bottle. For liquid medications a measuring cup is already supplied, so with this simple addition, the packaging becomes a lot easier to open for people with DASH, and therefore they can easily take their own medication, without help.
