The smart medical refrigerator

• Published in: IEEE potentials 2005-02, Vol.24 (1), p.42-45
• Main Authors: Kuwik, P., Largi, T., York, M., Crump, D., Livingston, D., Squire, J.C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomedical monitoring; Intelligent sensors; Medical; Medical services; Medicine; Microcontrollers; Monitors; Motion sensors; Patient monitoring; Patients; Prototypes; Refrigeration; Refrigerators; Remote monitoring; Senior citizens; Sensors; Telephony
• ISSN: 0278-6648; 1558-1772
• DOI: 10.1109/MP.2005.1405802

This work presents a smart medical refrigerator. The method suggests to monitor the elderly patients continued usage of medications on time. So a smart medical dispenser is used. The smart medical refrigerator monitors the use of prescribed medicine by patients and can alert a physician, healthcare provider or family members if the patient does not access the medicine in a set time frame. The smart medical refrigerator is connected to a standard telephone line. The microcontroller monitors the patient's usage of the refrigerator. After reviewing a prototype refrigerator, a patient is located to field test and provide critical feedback on prototype. A novel approaches to geriatric healthcare is taken as both the percentage and absolute numbers of elderly patients living alone reach record levels. The active sensor units require patient interaction to send out an alarm. The concept of using passive sensors to automatically sense patient incapacitation can be easily generalized. At-risk patients who don't take medication could be monitored using the same device attached to a standard household refrigerator, a pressure sensor on a carpet, a motion sensor in the kitchen, or even a tilt sensor on a toilet seat. The smart medical refrigerator approach unit helps to address the broader societal need of remote, automatic well being monitoring.