Pharmaceutical company develops tactile QR code for visually impaired people to identify medications

Pharmacist Grayce Miguel França, coordinator of the Pharmaceutical Working Group for Persons with Disabilities of the Regional Council of Pharmacy of the State of São Paulo (CRF-SP), developed a system to help users with visual impairments to identify medications.

christening of ‘Pharmacy for the Blind to See’the resource has an accessible QR code, printed in high relief on the boxes, flasks, cartons and leaflets, with sound information about the medicine, reproduced by a text-to-audio conversion application on smartphones and tablets.

“In my journey as a pharmacist and visually impaired person (she has only 5% vision), I thought, studied, researched how to differentiate a medicine, avoiding misuse, because Braille does not have essential information, such as the name of the active ingredient, dosage, quantity, pharmaceutical formula and expiry date, for people with visual impairments, the elderly, colorblinds and anyone who cannot read and know what is needed”, says Grayce França.

“It is a proposal of autonomy, security, accessibility, practicality and quality of life”, says the pharmacist.

The project was presented in November last year at the panel on assistive technologies for people with visual and hearing impairments at a symposium on advances in the sector.

“I am looking for partnerships that support the project and pharmaceutical companies that understand the importance of this accessibility solution that is not yet available on the market”, says Grayce França.

Anyone interested can contact us via email. [email protected] or by profile @grayce_miguelfranca on Instagram.