Method Overview
This was a primary research method in which participants will fulfill the role of a patient receiving a prescribed medication. The goal of this research is to analyze each participant and observe their behavior in compliance to taking their medications.
*The medication used in the research experiment was candy made to resemble the narrative of a prescription medication*
Prompt
Each participant will be prescribed a medication (candy) in which she/he will need to adhere to the listed instructions present on the bottle outlining dosage and procedure for proper consumption.
Participant 1
Instructions: Take 2 orange candies in the morning, take 1 yellow candy in the evening.
Results:
- Day 01 – Successfully took medication prescribed
- Day 02 – Successfully took medication prescribed
- Day 03 – Successfully took medication prescribed
“I took it per the instructions and remembered by leaving it on the counter where I could see it.”
Participant 2
Instructions: Take 1 red candy in the morning and 1 red candy in the evening.
Instructions: Take 1 brown candy in the evening with food.
Results:
- Day 01 – Successfully took medication prescribed
- Day 02 – Successfully took medication prescribed
- Day 03 – Successfully took medication prescribed
“Read the directions. Kept the bottle somewhere I could continually see it for a visual reminder.”
Participant 3
Instructions: Take 1 blue candy and 1 yellow candy in the afternoon together
Instructions: Take 1 green candy in the evening
- Day 01 – Successfully took medication prescribed
- Day 02 – Successfully took medication prescribed
- Day 03 – Successfully took medication prescribed
“I set alarms on my phone to remind me when to take in addition to placing them by my light stand so that they are in plain sight.”
Analysis:
Overall, this experiment was an interesting way to replicate the behaviors of potential patients upon prescribing a medication, of various instruction, and analyze their behavior through means of identifying successes and failures. As represented above, all participants complied to the medication and gave insight to ways in which they were reminded to ensure consumption. To further push this research, incorporating more participants of different demographics can lead to results that would reflect additional successes or challenges of taking medications. By selecting more participants that vary in lifestyle, it can lead to insights that address the changes one may or may not have to make in relation to their routine and incorporating a prescribed medication.
