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Creating a sustainable, affordable way to fight asthma
Asthma as a disease
Asthma is a respiratory condition that causes spasms in the bronchi of the lungs as a result of allergic reactions or other forms of hyper sensitivity
Currently 8 million children & 22 million adults suffer from chronic asthma in the United States
A chronic condition, asthma cannot be cured and patients need to constantly treat their symptoms
Asthma can be easily triggered by anything from pollution, pollen, dust or even fatigue
Where is Asthma in the US Economy?
• An accounted $85 billion was spent on asthma care in 2018
• $3.54 trillion is the amount of healthcare expenditures in 2017, prescription drugs are 342 billion of those expenditures
• In 2018 the total calculated cost for Asthma in the US was 80 billion dollars
Demographics of Asthma
• On average, 12 people in the world will die of asthma daily, and 1 in every 8 suffer an attack
• Asthma is not just a public health problem for high income countries: it occurs in all countries regardless of level of development. Over 80% of asthma deaths occurs in low and lower-middle income countries
• Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children
OK
WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
People are spending too much on inhalers just to keep them in the closet
Inhalers pile into landfills and are costly to continuously purchase
The prescription of medication in an inhaler is not specified for a specific individual's needs
Solving the Problem
Dock
FUNCTION POINTS
• Modular
• Charging doc
• Refill
• Prescription
Charging dock allows users to refuel their inhaler and specify the usage
Recharging cartridge
Safe access to an inhaler- when people are afflicted by asthma they need access to an inhaler before anything else.
By allowing users to carry a trendier and innovative inhaler it may encourage responsibility
Form ideation
Accessibility- when carrying an inhaler it can become quite inconvenient at times, it is essential for anyone that has asthma to feel comfortable carrying an inhaler anywhere
Effectiveness- when undergoing an attack, there is nothing worse than using an ineffective inhaler. Asthma patients need to have effective inhalers that keep them assured at all times
CHALLENGES
the biggest challenge for asthma patients is carrying their inhaler everyday
HABIT:
patients may undergo an attack at any moment under any circumstance
ATTACKS:
the amount of money to maintain medication and inhaler dosage
COST:
User Study
User: Matthew Huang
Age: 19
Education: University of California, Berkeley
Diagnosis: Asthma (since birth)
Hobbies: Competitive swimming
What is the worst thing about an asthma inhaler?
-"Just having to carry it around with you everywhere."
If you could change anything about the inhaler what would it be?
-"The size of it is extremely inconvenient."
How bad are your asthma symptoms?
-"Mine are pretty mild, however if I do have an attack it can last for 1-2 weeks."
How can you treat an attack?
-"It really depends, for me, I just rest, eat healthier foods, and drinking warmer water
What does an attack feel like?
-"Short breaths. Out of breaths. You know when you have it."
Is it easy for an attack to kill you?
"Again it depends on the person. I've been hospitalized because I had an asthma attack during allergy season and it just kept building."
"As a CIF swimmer, I had to constantly take puffs from my inhaler in between meets. It was an inconvenience because it felt like just another check box to check before doing something. People get dressed, put on their caps and goggles, but I had to do all that plus bring an inhaler with me. It was like if I didn't have it, I wasn't winning that meet."
Final Prototype
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Patients are given a lighter weight, reusable, and sustainable inhaler, paired with a dock
When prescribed, each patient receives a specific
dosage of asthma medication
Prescription medicine is refilled into the dock and stays at home
When low on medication, simply refill the inhaler by inserting it back into the dock and receiving the same specified amount of dosage
