Identiv, Inc., global digital security and identification leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced an Identiv-powered digital health solution built for a national pharmacy chain won the 2022 Fast Company Innovation by Design Award in the Packaging category and was an honoree in the Accessibility category.
A common theme among this year's Innovation by Design honorees, which range from healthcare interfaces to autonomous driving technology, is permanence," said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "The products that leaped out to our editors and judges went against our quick-fix consumer culture, while also manifesting a more inclusive vision of design."
The national pharmacy and the American Council for the Blind (ACB) collaborated to create an app that allows vital prescription information to be read clearly and aloud to patients to prevent medication confusion. The app is enabled by Identiv's near field communication (NFC) technology, radio frequency identification (RFID) labels attached to a patient's prescription packaging are scanned using the app.
Important prescription information, including patient name, medication name, and directions, are then read aloud in either English or Spanish at no additional cost. This ensures the patient is taking the correct medication. Identiv's RFID tags, proprietary reader, and encoding technology became the innovation driver of this digital health solution. Beyond capabilities for the visually impaired, the RFID technology powering the platform can also store important data points of any patient's medical history. In fact, more and more people are using the solution for the convenience of simple everyday prescription reading on-the-go.
The solution stands apart from others in the market as an in-app feature for one of the largest pharmacy chains in the country. Kim Charlson, a former president of the ACB, calls this a huge step. "I just think it's great to include accessibility right in with all the services that they provide for everyone," Charlson says. Charlson takes listeners through a step-by-step demo of the solution in a recent episode of Identiv's Humans in Tech podcast.
"We're very honored to receive this Fast Company award for making healthcare more accessible. Digital health accessibility is an important initiative at Identiv," said Dr. Manfred Mueller, Chief Operating Officer, Identiv. "The easy-to-use technology behind this digital health solution allows for greater medical independence for all patients. We're dedicated to building more empathetic designs that will continue to provide transformational experiences in everyday lives," added Mueller.
Highly regarded in the industry and now in its 11th year, the Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards, which can be found in the October 2022 issue of Fast Company and current digital edition, honor the designers and businesses solving the most crucial problems of today and anticipating the pressing issues of tomorrow. The prestigious awards include 46 categories showcasing design across all industries. The 2022 honorees include nearly 600 innovative projects, products, and services from Airbnb, Google, Kaiser Permanente, Philips Experience Design, Nike, and others.
The judges include renowned designers from a variety of disciplines, business leaders from some of the most innovative companies in the world, and Fast Company's own writers and editors. Entries are judged on the key ingredients of innovation: functionality, originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural impact, and business impact.
