The Advent of University-Level Packaging Scholarship: The Time, the Place and the People

In 1952, Michigan State College (MSC), now Michigan State University (MSU), was the first university in the world to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging. Other universities had previously offered related courses like canning (as part of a food science degree) or military packaging (in wartime), but MSU was the first to propose packaging as its own academic field of scholarship. Other universities followed, sharing faculty and curriculum models developed at MSU. As a result, graduates’ careers in packaging now have a higher professional status, and universities play a key role in developing our international community of packaging scholars. Sixty-five years later, the purpose of this manuscript is to explore the unique circumstances that led to the creation of the Michigan State University School of Packaging. This historical manuscript documents the convergence of the time, place and people, and it shows MSU’s role in cultivating packaging scholarship around the world

Unpackaging aseptic presentation: A qualitative study into the contextual influences involving medical packaging design and use heuristics among perioperative personnel

Newly emerging mandates in the Medical Device Regulation in Europe and additions to ISO 11607 require medical device manufacturers characterize how package designs facilitate (or hinder) aseptic transfer by perioperative personnel. The present work utilized a semi-structured interview with clinicians on the topic of aseptic presentation. Methodological decisions related to the interviews and assessment of results were undergirded with affordance and situated learning theories to identify the components of a user experience. QDA Miner software was used post-hoc to code, quantify, and categorize the data into major and minor themes. The study identifies several components within the user’s experience that influenced aseptic transfer, including: context (e.g. staff availability), coworkers’ input, and variation in individuals\u27 interpretation of acceptable practice related to the transfer of devices to the sterile field and appropriate handling of packaging. To comply with the changing regulatory landscape surrounding the safety of medical devices, the industry should employ human factors methodologies to better understand how sterile packages will be used by the clinician “aseptically”

The role of packaging size on contamination rates during simulated presentation to a sterile field

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of package size on the contact between medical devices and non-sterile surfaces (i.e. the hands of the practitioner and the outside of the package) during aseptic presentation to a simulated sterile field. Rationale for this objective stems from the decades-long problem of hospital-acquired infections. This work approaches the problem from a unique perspective, namely packaging size. Design: Randomized complete block design with subsampling. Setting: Research study conducted at professional conferences for surgical technologists and nursing professionals. Participants: Ninety-seven healthcare providers, primarily surgical technologists and nurses. Methods: Participants were gloved and asked to present the contents of six pouches of three different sizes to a simulated sterile field. The exterior of pouches and gloves of participants were coated with a simulated contaminant prior to each opening trial. After presentation to the simulated sterile field, the presence of the contaminant on package contents was recorded as indicative of contact with non-sterile surfaces and analyzed in a binary fashion using a generalized linear mixed model. Results: Recruited subjects were 26–64 years of age (81 females, 16 males), with 2.5–44 years of professional experience. Results indicated a significant main effect of pouch size on contact rate of package contents (P = 0.0108), whereby larger pouches induced greater rates of contact than smaller pouches (estimates±SEM: 14.7±2.9% vs. 6.0±1.7%, respectively). Discussion and Conclusion: This study utilized novel methodologies which simulate contamination in aseptic presentation. Results of this work indicate that increased contamination rates are associated with larger pouches when compared to smaller pouches. The results add to a growing body of research which investigate packaging's role in serving as a pathway for product contamination during aseptic presentation. Future work should investigate other packaging design factors (e.g. material, rigidity, and closure systems) and their role in contamination

Examining the Effect of Secondary Packaging on Microbial Penetration into Sterile Medical Device Trays

device trays was examined. Sterile device trays were aseptically filled with growth medium, exposed to microbial challenge, incubated, and inspected for growth. During microbial challenge, all package systems were subjected to a pressure differential that simulated those experienced during distribution. Penetration rates were significantly decreased (P = 0.01) when unlidded trays were packaged in pouches (0/39), compared to those in cartons (37/39). Similarly, the number of colony forming units (CFU) present was greater for unlidded trays packaged in cartons, compared to those in pouches (P = 0.03). To further explore the efficacy of cartons as a barrier to microbial ingress, lidded trays with a single 100 μm breach were packaged in cartons and subjected to the same methodologies; approximately 15% exhibited growth. When compared to unlidded trays, penetration rates (

An Affordance-Based Methodology for Package Design

The term affordance describes an object\u27s utilitarian function or actionable possibilities. Product designers have taken great interest in the concept of affordances because of the bridge they provide relating to design, the interpretation of design and, ultimately, functionality in the hands of consumers. These concepts have been widely studied and applied in the field of psychology but have had limited formal application to packaging design and evaluation. We believe that the concepts related to affordances will reveal novel opportunities for packaging innovation. To catalyse this, presented work had the following objectives: (a) to propose a method by which packaging designers can purposefully consider affordances during the design process; (b) to explain this method in the context of a packaging-related case study; and (c) to measure the effect on package usability when an affordance-based design approach is employed

Mapping kinematic functional abilities of the hand to three dimensional shapes for inclusive design

Loss of hand function can have adverse effects on an individual\u27s ability to maintain independence. The ability to perform daily activities, such as food preparation and medication delivery, is dependent on the hand\u27s ability to grasp and manipulate objects. Therefore, the goal of this research was to demonstrate that three dimensional (3D) modeling of hand function can be used to improve the accessibility of handheld objects for individuals with reduced functionality through informed design. Individual models of hand functionality were created for 43 participants and group models were developed for groups of individuals without (Healthy) and with reduced functionality due to arthritis (RFA) of the hand. Cylindrical models representative of auto-injectors of varying diameters were analyzed in 3D space relative to hand function. The individual model mappings showed the cylinder diameter with the highest mapped functional values varied depending on the type of functional weighting chosen: kinematic redundancy of fingertip pad positional placement, fingertip pad orientation, or finger force directionality. The group mappings showed that for a cylinder to be grasped in a power grasp by at least 75% of the Healthy or RFA groups, a diameter of 40 mm was required. This research utilizes a new hand model to objectively compare design parameters across three different kinematic factors of hand function and across groups with different functional abilities. The ability to conduct these comparisons enables the creation of designs that are universal to all – including accommodation of individuals with limits in their functional abilities

Consumer Attention to an Over-the-counter Warning in Four Different Styles of Design

The study consisted of three objectives: (a) to test the relative prominence and conspicuousness of a warning required by US law to be conspicuous; (b) to explore whether or not the conspicuousness of the said warning can be enhanced graphically; and (c) to develop preliminary data for power analysis that would guide decisions related to sample size in future studies. Seventeen subjects viewed four over-the-counter drug packages (each with a different style of warning) along with five other products while wearing an eye tracking device. Four styles of warning were used on the over-the-counter drug packages: no outline and no fill, outline and no fill, no outline and fill, and outline and fill. The surface area and the placement of the warnings were held constant across all four designs and were consistent with those on commercially available products. Collected data were broken into five zones: warning, brand name, strength, product benefit and net weight. Despite the fact that US law requires it to be conspicuous, the tested warning was significantly less noticeable than the brand name (objective one) for all dependent variables analyzed (α = 0.05). No significant difference was indicated for the varied warning designs (objective two). This could be because not much can be done to enhance prominence when constrained to the limited space that is typically used for such warnings or because of the limited sample size. Power calculations suggest that a sample size of nearly 200 subjects would be required to detect a 2.5 s mean difference at 80% confidence (objective three)

Measuring the effect of affordances on a crash cart medicine packaging

Abstract: In the United States, most drugs stored in crash carts of emergency rooms are packaged in folding cartons with opening mechanisms that involve pressing and tearing the bottom of the package. Anecdotal evidence and a previous study conducted by the research team suggest that these packages are counterintuitive for lay users. The concept of affordances, how design features communicate actionable possibilities, can be applied to improve the usability of packaging. In order to measure the effect of individual design features and previous experience on opening time and error frequency during first opening attempt, a commercially available package for epinephrine was redesigned and tested with two panels of participants; 33 lay users and 17 healthcare providers. Each experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design with three factors: location of opening mechanism (top or bottom), type of opening mechanism (press-in or tab), and colour contrast in opening area (with and without). By crossing all possible conditions (2x2x2), eight different folding carton designs resulted. Each participant was treated as a block and presented all eight designs in a random order. Participants stood behind a counter of a fixed height and completed eight opening tasks in a lab facility (lay users) and an emergency room (healthcare providers). They were instructed to imagine an emergency scenario where they needed to remove all contents from each package as quickly as possible. Results show that colour contrast had no significant effect on opening time, having a tab significantly reduces time to open. More specifically, tabs cued the user as to the correct end containing the opening feature regardless of it was positioned on the top or bottom of the package. When there was no tab, then having the opening at the top resulted in a significant reduction in time to open, compared to having the opening at the bottom. In an analysis comparing the eight designs, the actual commercial packages ranked as the worst designs in terms of opening time and error frequency. Findings have critical implications for designing packages that are more usable and for eliminating errors during product use

Endorepellin causes endothelial cell disassembly of actin cytoskeleton and focal adhesions through α2β1 integrin

Endorepellin, the COOH-terminal domain of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan perlecan, inhibits several aspects of angiogenesis. We provide evidence for a novel biological axis that links a soluble fragment of perlecan protein core to the major cell surface receptor for collagen I, α2β1 integrin, and provide an initial investigation of the intracellular signaling events that lead to endorepellin antiangiogenic activity. The interaction between endorepellin and α2β1 integrin triggers a unique signaling pathway that causes an increase in the second messenger cAMP; activation of two proximal kinases, protein kinase A and focal adhesion kinase; transient activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and heat shock protein 27, followed by a rapid down-regulation of the latter two proteins; and ultimately disassembly of actin stress fibers and focal adhesions. The end result is a profound block of endothelial cell migration and angiogenesis. Because perlecan is present in both endothelial and smooth muscle cell basement membranes, proteolytic activity during the initial stages of angiogenesis could liberate antiangiogenic fragments from blood vessels' walls, including endorepellin

Quantifying Age-Related Differences in Information Processing Behaviors When Viewing Prescription Drug Labels

Adverse drug events (ADEs) are a significant problem in health care. While effective warnings have the potential to reduce the prevalence of ADEs, little is known about how patients access and use prescription labeling. We investigated the effectiveness of prescription warning labels (PWLs, small, colorful stickers applied at the pharmacy) in conveying warning information to two groups of patients (young adults and those 50+). We evaluated the early stages of information processing by tracking eye movements while participants interacted with prescription vials that had PWLs affixed to them. We later tested participants’ recognition memory for the PWLs. During viewing, participants often failed to attend to the PWLs; this effect was more pronounced for older than younger participants. Older participants also performed worse on the subsequent memory test. However, when memory performance was conditionalized on whether or not the participant had fixated the PWL, these age-related differences in memory were no longer significant, suggesting that the difference in memory performance between groups was attributable to differences in attention rather than differences in memory encoding or recall. This is important because older adults are recognized to be at greater risk for ADEs. These data provide a compelling case that understanding consumers’ attentive behavior is crucial to developing an effective labeling standard for prescription drugs