정보인지 취약계층을 위한 일반의약품 어플리케이션의 정보접근성 사례연구

Abstract

Background : Since the legislation has been passed to allow over-the-counter(OTC) medications to be sold in regular supermarkets outside of pharmacies in Korea, there has been a steady increase in the frequency of OTC medication usage and consequent increase in the risks and safety issues. To resolve these issues, there have been several studies persistently introducing ways to present appropriate information – technically or via design-based approaches. Nonetheless, there are very few studies that have assessed OTC medication applications for this vulnerable population. Therefore, our study aims to identify ways to improve OTC medication applications for this vulnerable population, via previous case studies that have assessed. Methods : Literature review was performed to investigate case studies describing the services to provide relevant information regarding medication in Korea. In addition, applications that were developed and used were further assessed for their user base, function, and characteristics of the technology used. Lastly, OTC medication applications for general people–excluding the applications for prescription drugs–were further analyzed for information browsing function and user interface. Result : Case studies from literature, describing the issues with utilization of information regarding the medication in the vulnerable population, as well as ICT technology used in medications, were examined. Out of 22 domestically developed applications that provide information for medications, only 14 were determined to be usable by the general population. Among them, there were only 6 applications that included ICT technology for the vulnerable population, and merely 2 out of 6 applications that included ICT technology provided information regarding OTC medication – one of these was the KPIC application provided by the Korea Pharmaceutical Information Center and the other was PillScanner application provided by AITRICS. More specially, KPIC application – which includes the Voiceye barcode reading technology for individuals with visual impairment–had an interface that did not consider accessibility of the individuals with visual impairment. Conclusion : Through a case study of 22 different domestic applications providing information for medication, assessments of user base, function, and characteristics of the technology used were made for each application. User interface of traditionally developed and used OTC medication applications for general population requires major modifications and improvements for the vulnerable population, in terms of accessibility and function/technology utilization.