Design of a Precision Medication Dispenser: Preventing Overdose by Increasing Accuracy and Precision of Dosage

Abstract

Liquid medication overdose in pediatric patients results in over 70 000 visits to the emergency room yearly in the USA. Various studies have demonstrated that the root cause of this high incidence is due to user and device error in dose measurement. The standard measuring cup and syringe suffer from the challenge of accurately measuring and dispensing viscous liquids, which comprise the majority of children's medication formulations. Here, we describe the development of a precision medication dispenser that overcomes challenges associated with viscous fluid flow at low volumes and flow rates, while incorporating various ergonomic and user-friendly features. The device performs with >95% accuracy and 94% precision across the 1-5-mL range of volume, a significant improvement when compared to current commercially available dispensers.

Keywords

• Liquid medication
• dosage
• administration error
• viscous flow
• overdose