1. Mobile Pharmacy for Developing Countries
Tamara Gedankien, Katerina Stojkova, Melissa Hoelting, Stephen Congdon & Precious Eboh
IPRO 497-301 - Exploring Opportunities for Healthcare
Infrastructure Innovation in Developing Countries:
Focus on MEDLIFE Peru
For the past several years, MEDLIFE has been
working to bring basic health care services to
urban slums outside of Lima, Peru [1].
MEDLIFE Mobile Clinics deliver primary care
services to individuals and families who
otherwise lack access. MEDLIFE Mobile Clinics
conduct year-round patient examination and
follow up, supplying the necessary medication
and assistance [1].
BACKGROUND
PROBLEM
Our mission is to design a cost-effective mobile pharmacy to allow for
easy and efficient organization, transportation, and storage of medicine
at the MEDLIFE Mobile Clinics.
OBJECTIVE
One of the main problems encountered by the MEDLIFE Mobile Clinics is
the lack of an efficient and cost-effective way to organize, transport, and
store medicine. Displayed on top of tables and, typically, in open areas,
MEDLIFE pharmacy stations continually face various issues including:
 Poor organization of medicine
 Lack of privacy control
 Lack of protection against theft
 Portability issues
 Tracking and inventory issues
METHODOLOGY
1. Assessing User’s Needs
RESULTS
CONCLUSION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
GOING FORWARD
 The full size
model measures
35Hx14Wx20D
 Drawers contain moving panels that act as dividers to enable
simple compartmentalization of medicines
 Charlie Hartley, KarliWagner & Clare Lilek – MEDLIFE representatives
 Prof. Hannah Korel & Prof. Omar Khalil – IPRO instructors
 Mr. JohnWelin – IdeaShop manager
3. Brainstorming & Prototyping
 Lightweight
 Durable
 Compact
 Transportable
 Affordable
 Secure Fastening
 Waterproof
 Compartments
2. Benchmarking
Possible future improvements or additions include:
 Researching and testing appropriate plastics for a final product
 Incorporating an inventory and tracking system of the medicine
 Designing and integrating a patient history/data storage system
After conducting interviews with MEDLIFE interns, nurses and
pharmacists, the following product needs were identified:
REFERENCES
[1] http://www.medlifeweb.org
[2] http://www.willach-pharmacy-solutions.com/
[3] http://www.rxshelving.com
[4] http://www.gsacontainer.com
FAMA Shelving Systems [2] MEDTRX Patient Cassette Cart [3] CL5 Pharmacy Container [4]
The design developed during our investigation of the MEDLIFE Peru
pharmacy combines a rugged structure, that is compact, lightweight,
durable, and easy to transport. This design addresses the requests put
forth for general organization, transportation, and security of MEDLIFE
pharmacy stations.
 Sliding front panel
for secure
transportation
 Four functional
and removable
drawers