Mediclude is a medication packaging overlay, that would be printed and applied at the point of dispensation, that focuses on two behavioural interventions designed at tackling antibiotic resistance. It encourages patients' to finish their course of antibiotics and promotes behavioural changes to reduce repeat infections. The packaging uses behavioural nudges in order to achieve these goals which are important weapons in tackling growing problem of antibiotic resistance.
Mediclude encourages the completion of a medication's course through the use of intrigue, progression and personalisation. The patient is curious as to what personalised information is hidden behind each reaming door. The patient is also going to be unsatisfied by the lack of completion of a series that they have been through for a number of days. Furthermore, the fact that the dates THEY INDIVIDUALLY must take THEIR OWN medication with THEIR OWN name printed on it on it encourages personal accountability. All this contributes to a desire to complete the course.
Secondly, the packaging through the personalised health advice under each door, encourages an understanding of the links between the medicine itself, and its effects on the patient's unique body and their own behaviour. This is vital as often patients see a pill as a solution to disease, failing to understand the role their own body and behaviour can have in promoting or mitigating their illness. This is a particularly important element in preventing the growth of antibiotic resistance as antibiotics are often prescribed for infections that can be avoided through behavioural changes (E.g Swimmers Ear).
In practice the overlay would be printed and applied at the pharmacy. The personalised overlays would be printed alongside the patient's prescription and stuck onto blister packs at the pharmacy. This card would have the dates of the course printed on the front with perforated doors for each pill. Behind the doors there is personalised health advice that could be generated using the patient's personal prescription notes.
Through these interventions in the treatment process Mediclude helps engage patient's in their own treatment, encouraging adherence and promoting pro-active prevention in future.
'Antibiotic resistance' is the process by which bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics. This process has become a growing problem due to difficulties discovering new classes of antibiotics. A new class of antibiotics has not been discovered for 25 years. This means there are now an ever-growing number of bacterial infections that are untreatable using antibiotics. In 2012 WHO estimated that there were 450,000 cases of tuberculosis that were resistant to all existing antibiotics
One way in which the functionality of current antibiotics can be preserved is by ensuring patients finish their entire course of antibiotics even if they are feeling better. This is important because if the patient does not finish their course a small number of bacteria may survive. These surviving bacteria, which have been exposed to the antibiotic, may evolve resistance to it.