The mission of our project is to protection people and help them understand what they are putting into their bodies for their health. A lot of people have no idea what they are taking or what you can and can not take with it. This leads to a lot of hospitalizations and accidental overdoses.  That is where our project comes in, an app to make it easier for people to understand and know what to take or not take with their medications. 

We work together to strategize, form ideas, plan, and reach our goals.

As a team, we decided to create an app that would be accessible on both web and mobile platforms. To start with, we began by creating a prototype, which involved agreeing on a color scheme, design layout, and overall format. To achieve this, we used Google Slides, which is a free and convenient platform, to create a layout for our app. We utilized the shape functions to recreate an app-like design and added a section for text on the right, where we could input code. Once we had a rough idea of the design, the next step was to test the feasibility of our prototype. To accomplish this, we decided to use code.org, which is one of the coding platforms we had compiled a list of. We wanted to ensure that our design was practical and that we could execute it effectively. As we progressed, we realized that we needed a database to create the basis of our code. Therefore, we started researching the interactions between popular drugs such as insulin, metformin, and zoloft, among others. We created a data chart displaying all the variables to visualize the relationship between the drugs. We labeled the interactions using an original key, ranging from worst to safe (1-4), and from harmless to BAD for pregnant women (A-X). Additionally, we created another data chart detailing the color(s), shape(s), and imprint(s) of the drugs. Using these keys, we got to work on coding the app, ensuring that it was user-friendly, helpful, and safe.

The first photo is one of the first things we did for the project. It is a data table with all of the medications we have in the app so far, and the levels of harm they cause when mixed together. Below that photo is the key to what the table means. The third photo is of two of our team members working hard on the app (Anjali on the left and Tineta on the right). This last photo is the first part of our code with the different identifiers such as the different colors of the pills and shapes. 

Throughout our journey as a group of engineers, we have faced numerous challenges and learned important lessons. One of the biggest struggles we encountered was having to switch our projects three times throughout the school year. However, this experience has made us more resilient and better equipped to find solutions efficiently. We have come to realize that engineering is not about taking the easy way out, but rather about optimizing solutions using the resources available. Effective communication, collaboration, and time management are crucial for successful engineering projects, and we have learned this through our experiences. We have grown more comfortable with one another and have learned how to effectively communicate our concerns and ideas. We have also learned that it's okay to reassess and scale back when things don't go as planned. Teamwork is one of the foundational blocks of a successful engineering project, and if one's team can't manage their time, communicate, and collaborate effectively, the whole project falls apart. In conclusion, we have not only gained knowledge about NOT mixing atorvastatin and amlodipine, but also the importance of teamwork in achieving our goals.

We were lucky to have a group filled with intelligent people who have different interests, however all three of us are interested in the sciences. One of our team members, Miri Alexanderwicz, is involved in the school’s pharmacy program and introduced us to the common issue of drug contraindications in the medical/pharmaceutical field which are typically unrepresented in the medical field despite being associated with various unwanted adverse drug reactions. According to NIH, "research shows that approximately 7000 deaths out of overall 44000-98000 deaths associated with errors in medical care are due to medication errors" and drug interactions are one of the main subsets of these medication errors. The risk of these drug interactions is heavily dependent on a myriad of factors including the number of prescribed medications, lengthiness of treatment, age of the patient, and the severity of the disease. According to a recent study, the majority of medication discrepancies that occur during hospital admissions, around 72%, are caused by errors in taking patients' medication history. Additionally, approximately 26% of discrepancies arise due to a lack of appropriate reconciliation of drug history with discharge orders. Clinical Pharmacy exists to mitigate these adverse reactions by optimizing the prescription and administration process. However, studies have shown that 51% of pharmacists experience burnout as a result of high patient and prescription volumes and excessive workloads. With this knowledge in mind, our app will not only be targeted towards consumers and people of the community but also be applicable to clinical settings, for medical professionals to use to mitigate their workload.