Decoding Medicine

India’s healthcare sector is profitable and growing, yet large number of patients sometimes end up worse off as many self-medicate without proper understanding. Although not the sole factor, one key issue is that patients do not fully understand which drugs treat which symptoms, how should they be taken, side effects, expiry etc. Instructions for prescription drugs are in English and India has several vernacular languages. Speaking from personal experience, as one of our team members hails from a small town in India, we understand the problems faced by this customer segment. ‘Medicode’ combines mobile technology with design thinking to explain essential information about medical drugs. Using a mobile-friendly microsite, Medicode combines written explanations with universally-recognised pictograms to provide information. Medicode can help and empower large customer segment in India. It can help them make better informed decisions about their health and in turn benefit all stakeholders.