*What:* The US Access Board Working Group on Accessible Prescription Labels is holding open meetings to determine best practices for labeling prescriptions for the blind and visually impaired.
*When:* Monday, March 18 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Eastern Time *Where:* Telephone 888-603-7094, passcode 6317703. Dial in any time during the meeting; the public comment period is anticipated to start between 4:15 and 4:30 pm Eastern time. *Why:* Prescription information should be accessible to everyone, regardless of vision condition. The board is not, at this time, considering codes that can be read by mobile devices such as the iPhone or Android and it is not considering mobile technology as an option for label reading or recording. We believe that this is an option that should be included in the recommendations because of its convenience, low cost of implementation, power and portability. We encourage you to find out more about this committee and to consider giving some input on the topic because the results almost certainly will determine how your prescriptions are labeled in the future. For more information, read on! *How does the Working Group affect you?* The US Access Board Working Group on Accessible Prescription Labels is holding hearings to determine best practices for labeling prescriptions for the blind and visually impaired. The working group is a public body and meetings are open to the public. So, if you want to participate and make your opinions known, you have a chance to do so! The next meeting is scheduled Monday, March 18 from 1:00pm to 5:00pm ET. The Access Board will be specifically discussing audio labeling of prescriptions. The document they are working from is here: http://www.access-board.gov/drug-labels/practices-summary.htm And the hearing will start with the line titled “*Practice of Providing Audible Labels -- Digital voice recorders attached to a prescription drug container”* The committee typically discusses their document and then saves the last 30 or 45 minutes for a “Public Forum” and open the phone lines for public comments. The dial-in number is 888-603-7094 and the pass code is 6317703. You can dial in any time. We'd like to encourage people who are interested in mobile solutions to attend the next meeting by phone and speak up for the option of including mobile technology as one of the audio options. We recommend that you prepare a short statement to read to the committee that says something to the effect: “My name is _____________ and my vision condition is ________________. I use the iPhone and other mobile technology in my daily life *(give examples as to why it is useful*). I believe that the commit should include the use of labeling that can be read and voiced by mobile devices such as the Android or iPhone because (state your reason for wanting mobile technology included – we believe it is a useful solution because it means we don’t have to carry around a bulky reader or use a special recorder and can just use the same convenient prescription bottles that everyone else uses!) It is not all that common for us, as citizens, to be able to influence the course of legislation, but this is a great opportunity to speak up and say what *we* want and how *we* want it! *Using Labels Readable with Digital Technology* At this time, the committee is considering only existing solutions such as bottle recorders and ScriptTalk. We believe that it is in everyone’s best interest to understand that there is no single good solution to making prescription labels accessible and that the range of solutions should include the use of labels (QR code and other) that can be read by devices such as the iPad, iPod, Android or iPhone. Here is a sample pharmaceutical label that can be printed on a simple, inexpensive round label and fitted on the bottom of a standard 40ml prescription bottle. http://www.digit-eyes.com/graphics/pharma-see/sampleLabel1.png <http://www.digit-eyes.com/graphics/pharma-see/sampleLabel1.png> The code above can be scanned and voiced with any QR code scanning app on the iPhone, Android or other device that can read and voice QR codes. You can, for instance, read it with the free version of Digit-Eyes: https://appstore.com/digiteyeslite As shown in the sample label, the content can include personalized information about the prescription as well as a link to the authoritative source of information about the medicine in the bottle (in this case, a sample penicillin label, a link is included to the Medline Plus page for the specific formulation in the bottle.) http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a685015.html The advantage of this type of labeling is straightforward: for people who have a phone that can scan codes, no bulky reader or awkward addition to their pill bottle is needed. The “reader” is where the person is – it won’t be accidentally left behind and the phone is easily charged and highly reliable. *More information about Our Porposal* We have been attending the meetings both in person and by phone and we will continue to do so. We presented Digit-Eyes to the board and described a new product titled “Pharma-See” that we are proposing to give away as a free app to consumers. This new product uses the existing Digit-Eyes scanning, recording and playback technology or the existing text technology (as best suits the customer and pharmacy) and it is set up to allow pharmacies to do a simple one-time recording on a label on the bottom of the bottle. More information: http://pharma-see.com *About the board* The charter of the board: http://www.access-board.gov/news/drug-labels-working-group.htm The overview and minutes: http://www.access-board.gov/drug-labels/index.htm The recommendations from the meeting of the Access Board on January 10-11: http://www.access-board.gov/drug-labels/practices-summary.htm -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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