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An empirical study examining medication management among individuals with visual impairments

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Abstract

Medication management can often be a challenging task for individuals adhering to a strict regimen. In response, a number of technologies have been developed to remind the user when to take medication and to record how often medications have been consumed. Many of these technologies have not been designed with visually impaired users in mind, making the process of access more difficult for individuals with sight loss. This study serves to identify the day-to-day issues faced by individuals with visual impairments when managing multiple medications. Strategies to identify, locate and consume medications are described. Findings from this study offer guidance to developers interested in creating more inclusive medication management solutions.

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Notes

  1. The term “visual impairments” describes individuals who identify themselves as legally blind. This term encompasses both individuals who have no/very limited levels of functional vision available and individuals who have some residual vision available to them.

  2. One Touch Meter—http://www.onetouch.com/.

  3. ColorSay—http://www.whitemarten.com/en/colorsay.

  4. WebMD—http://www.webmd.com/.

  5. RNIB PenFriend—http://www.rnib.org.uk.

  6. Script Talk—https://www.envisionamerica.com/.

  7. VizWiz—http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=1866029.1866080.

  8. IdMyPill—http://www.idmypill.com.

  9. MobileOCR—https://code.google.com/p/mobileocr/.

  10. Apple VoiceOver—http://www.apple.com.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMBC, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA

    William Easley, Ravi Kuber & A. Ant Ozok

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  1. William Easley
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  2. Ravi Kuber
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  3. A. Ant Ozok
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Correspondence to Ravi Kuber.

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Easley, W., Kuber, R. & Ozok, A.A. An empirical study examining medication management among individuals with visual impairments. Univ Access Inf Soc 16, 483–495 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-016-0467-y

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