Relleve Delivery System for Topical Therapy
Relleve solves problems with topical ointment application, patient-doctor interaction and patient self-confidence in managing treatment for psoriasis or eczema. A customized ointment tube fits into the pen applicator which dispenses the proper dosage, reducing waste and mess. Tubes are delivered to the home as needed by an online pharmacy subscription. A wireless charging system allows the user to integrate the device into daily life, building healthy habits and self-assurance for young patients.
Background
More than 8 million Americans have psoriasis. 125 million people worldwide, 2 to 3 percent of the total population, have psoriasis.
Psoriasis is a common, chronic, genetic, systemic inflammatory disease that is characterized by symptoms and signs such as elevated itchy plaques of raised red skin covered with thick silvery scales.
Managing Psoriasis at Home
Managing psoriasis can become troublesome because the condition is unpredictable. There are three type of treatment options: topical solutions, light therapy, and medication (oral and injectable) with topical solutions having the lowest therapy adherence.
Therapy Adherence for Topical Solutions
Since topical solutions are the most accessible, I decided to dig deeper into the challenge of why it is has the lowest therapy adherence.
Psoriasis is a condition that cannot be cured and treatment will always be ongoing to keep it stable. This requires numerous doctor visits. However, the success of the treatments cannot be accurately determined if patients do not adhere to their treatment plan.
User Interviews
I interviewed 3 Psoriasis patients to understand their journey from diagnosis to stability, which led me to 2 key insights: 1) Psoriasis patients are exhausted and mentally drained from their condition that they don’t comply with their treatment. 2) Psoriasis patients feel frustrated having to try different ointments which can lead to non-compliance.
“Having Psoriasis as a teenager really brought down my confidence. It’s embarrassing when people would ask me what’s on my shirt because my psoriasis would flake.”
“Everyone made fun of me in 8th grade. They taunted me for having a contagious disease. Even my friends made crude remarks, sometimes they would call me Dalmatian girl.”
“Me hating Psoriasis made it this big, ugly thing in my life versus me accepting Psoriasis and living with it.”
Challenges that Teenagers Face
Embarrassment
Teens feel embarrassed to the point that they feel like they have to cover up their skin or avoid social situations.
Frustration
Teens feel frustrated because of the time and energy spent on going through treatment, especially with applying topical solutions. Trial and error with different brands is a common process and sometimes one’s psoriasis won’t respond at all/quickly to a treatment.
Isolation
Teens feel isolated because of the lack of understanding that their peers have on their condition, especially with them thinking that the condition is contagious.
Endurance
It is extremely difficult for a teen to live day after day knowing that their condition won’t go away. It’s easier to give in/up than to keep going in discomfort.
Market Positioning of Existing Solutions
With topical therapy as the most common form of treatment for teens, it is also has the lowest therapy adherence. In the current market, there is a lack of existing solutions for topical therapy adherence.
Most prescription topical solutions require the user to use their hands to apply the solution on their skin (squeezable container or jar). The pump is more common in over the counter moisturizers. There is no current market for attachable devices to assist with application and adherence of topical solutions.
HCW Statement
How Can We increase topical therapy adherence in teens and leverage their treatment to increase their confidence levels and influence them to take ownership over their condition?
Concept Sketching and Development
During the ideation phase, I looked into different delivery methods of cream-based products that led me to combine the technology of a toothpaste pump with the intuitiveness of a pen. For the final concept, I combined my 3 concept directions into one, which includes 4 main components: charging dock, foam applicator, light indicator to display a low supply, and a notification sound.
Relleve Delivery System for Topical Therapy
Empowering teens with psoriasis or eczema to take ownership over their condition
How does it work?
1st Place
2020 IHA Student Design Competition
“Jesse did a fantastic job of contextualizing the issue and showing how current products failed to account for user behaviors and perception of their own treatment. His insightful identification of the importance of establishing correct behavioral habits in younger, newly diagnosed patients was a logical lead-in to the design decisions he made for this target audience. The design itself was sleek and well thought out, even down to replenishment cycles, RX support and branding.”
Elizabeth Reuter, Industrial Designer at Thermos