2019 Winners & Shortlists

RX PRESCRIPTION STICKERS

Bronze Lynx

Case Film

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BrandDUBAI HEALTH AUTHORITY
Product/ServiceMEDICAL PRESCRIPTION STICKERS FOR THE ILLITERATE
EntrantTHE CLASSIC PARTNERSHIP Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryWell-being, Environmental Impact & Solution
Idea Creation THE CLASSIC PARTNERSHIP Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PR THE CLASSIC PARTNERSHIP Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production THE CLASSIC PARTNERSHIP Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Background.

Dubai has a huge blue-collared workforce. A vast majority come from rural areas from around the region and from the Asian sub-continent which covers India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Most of these workers are illiterate and converse only in their native language, which limits their comprehension on many things. This includes taking medication. More than often, these workers make a guess on dosage and risk overdosing. To overcome this, the challenge was to devise a system which could work across the different profiles of workers. It had to be simple, cost-effective and above all universal in application.

Describe the creative idea.

All healthcare-related organisations and businesses in Dubai come under the jurisdiction of Dubai Health Authority. Its mission is focused on providing accessible, effective and integrated healthcare system, protecting public health and improving the quality of life in the emirate. This encompasses all residents including the 750,000 blue-collared workers. Hailing from countries from around the region, many of them have basic, if not any education. To address the issue of literacy and to curtail the risk of an overdose, a simple pictorial prescription sticker was devised. It clearly indicated all the key elements that were required. From the number of tablets or the amount of syrup, the frequency and time of consumption and the duration of the course were all illustrated on a sticker which was pasted by the pharmacist on the medication packaging. Common and basic symbols were utilised to ensure comprehension was absolute.

Describe the strategy.

While all workers are provided with healthcare benefits, there is no prescription system developed for those who are illiterate. Therefore, medications are consumed based on what was informed verbally or through handwritten indications besides the redundant printed labels. A cost-effective solution to this pressing issue was required.

Describe the execution.

Several key areas were taken into consideration when designing the stickers. A common size was first determined based on the available range of medications available in the emirate. Next came the dosage and consumption frequency which had to be carefully segmented to regular prescription requirements. A durable yet cost-effective material was identified before shortlisting to the simplest form of design. Based on these needs, 3 variations of stickers were produced: Tablets, Capsules and Syrups. The duration for each course was also broken down into the 3 main meal periods as there's generally a 5-hour interval between each which is what a doctor normally recommends. The designs were kept very basic with the allocation of space for manual markings. To ensure comprehension is at its fullest, pharmacists were directed to mark each section of the label in the presence of patients giving them clarity on how to understand the labels.

List the results.

100% comprehension and ease of use by pharmacists • 97% comprehension by illiterate blue-collared workers • 0 reported cases of medication overdose in Dubai • Introduced to 247 registered pharmacies and government hospitals across Dubai

Credits

Name Company Role
Alok Gadkar The Classic Partnership Executive Creative Director
Leslie Paul The Classic Partnership Creative Director
Mangesh Zemse The Classic Partnership Creative Group Head
Alok Gadkar The Classic Partnership Executive Creative Director
Mangesh Zemse The Classic Partnership Creative Group Head
Leslie Paul The Classic Partnership Creative Director
Tarek Chebaro The Classic Partnership Account Director
Vitthal Deshmukh The Classic Partnership Head of Production
Rashvin Mohammed Freelancer Editor/Animator
Blue Logic Digital Blue Logic Digital Production Agency
Bunny Verse Freelancer Music Producer
Peter Yaradanv Bunny Freelancer Music Producer