Community Nurses - Transporting Equipment Issues

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Hello everybody,

I would like to start off by explaining my situation, so please read through my post as I would really appreciate your help and input.

First off, I am not in the nursing profession, I am actually studying Product Design at university, and am in my 3rd and final year, which I have a major project for which is aimed primarily at community nurses.

I do know some community nurses in the mid-south of England, who have identified that they have a problem with transporting their equipment to and from clients for various reasons, ranging from poorly designed trolleys that break every 4 months, to unprofessional looking crates/boxes, and even methods that are unsuitable ending in loss of documents.

I am therefore looking into designing a Modular Trolley (primarily aimed at community nurses, however there are other areas that it could be used in)

For me to design this properly, I need as much information as I can get identifying the problems community nurses come across.

I have an online survey set up on SurveyMonkey which I would really appreciate all of your feedback. And of course I will keep checking on here if anyone would like any other information on what I am doing, or even if you are interested and want to see where this is going.

Below is the link to the survey, it is only 10 questions long and is completely anonymous and free, and would really help me with my degree.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7NMJXF5

Thank you all for you time

Thanks, will do!

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Another thing that I need to consider is the boot size of cars,

does anyone have company cars?

or do you use your own cars?

what kind of cars do you use?

Also, I believe some drugs need to be kept chilled, would it be helpful to have this built in? maybe a special box that can be attached and cool packs can be slid in?

Does anyone know of any material requirements in case of leakages of vials?

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Specializes in CCM, PHN.

I used my own tiny car. Believe me, if a bag can't fit in the boot (we call it the "trunk" here in US) then I won't use it! That would be way too large.

My company policy mandated that we used a special temp-stable, chilled transporter box provided by company for refrigerated meds. This was rare, most patients had their own meds at home in fridge, but I used it quite a bit for vaccinations out in the field. Research the "cold chain" - not sure if a compartment with ice packs would be stable enough to keep meds patent.

I know the military/EMS here makes their medevac packs out of Kevlar and treated nylon materials that are waterproof and flame resistant.

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Specializes in Public Health, L&D, NICU.

We found a bag we were going to buy, but then our boss purchased the canvas bags for us. I still may go back and buy this bag when my canvas one wears out. It could be hosed out, it would stand up on its own, and it had pockets.

Garden Bag - Contoured Bottom Garden Tote - Duluth Trading

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Specializes in Public Health, L&D, NICU.
Another thing that I need to consider is the boot size of cars,

does anyone have company cars?

or do you use your own cars?

what kind of cars do you use?

Also, I believe some drugs need to be kept chilled, would it be helpful to have this built in? maybe a special box that can be attached and cool packs can be slid in?

Does anyone know of any material requirements in case of leakages of vials?

I drive a small SUV. Coincidentally, all the nurses I work with drive SUVs.

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Sorry for the late reply, been a hectic couple of weeks;

@mclennan

So it seems boot(trunk)space is not really an issue, and as for the cooling temps I found this website: http://www.who.int/vaccines-documents/DocsPDF06/847.pdf quite useful, so thank you for suggesting I look into it, I talked to one nurse who said that she usually keeps her vaccines in her fridge at home, but when she takes them out its often in a cool bag surrounded with ice packs, I think this was provided by the company though.

As for the medevac packs, I've had a look at a couple of military standard ones, useful to know, if you can find out, what is the bag you use called to transport the vaccines?

@monkeybug

I can certainly see how and why that is a good bag, lots of good features, definitely something I will have to look into more.

I assume you have no problems with the boot space with an SUV.

Again, thanks for all your input so far, I have a lecture later on today, so should have more questions to ask soon.

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I also have put together a list of possible equipment from my survey results, I'm working on grouping them up at the moment, do you think this would be suitable grouping?

Files/folders

Blood BTS

Blood testing kits

BP cuff

Tourniquet

Plasters box

Alcohol wipes

Cotton wool

Tape

Scissors

Sterile packs of dressings

Hand sanitizer

Glove box

Syringes

Butterfly needles

Needles

Blood forms

Needle prick kit & forms

Medical leaflets

Tape measure

Infant/adult scales

Charts

Notebooks

Stationary

Demonstration dolls

Stethoscope

Technology - Portable DVD player/laptop/tablets/camera

Medication

Vaccines

Misc. items – Keys, phone, money, pepper spray

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Specializes in Public Health, L&D, NICU.
I also have put together a list of possible equipment from my survey results, I'm working on grouping them up at the moment, do you think this would be suitable grouping?

Files/folders

Blood BTS

Blood testing kits

BP cuff

Tourniquet

Plasters box

Alcohol wipes

Cotton wool

Tape

Scissors

Sterile packs of dressings

Hand sanitizer

Glove box

Syringes

Butterfly needles

Needles

Blood forms

Needle prick kit & forms

Medical leaflets

Tape measure

Infant/adult scales

Charts

Notebooks

Stationary

Demonstration dolls

Stethoscope

Technology - Portable DVD player/laptop/tablets/camera

Medication

Vaccines

Misc. items – Keys, phone, money, pepper spray

That sounds good. Also, I have to say that "cotton wool and plasters" sound so much cooler than "cotton balls and bandaids"!

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Again sorry for the late replies;

I am currently looking into the storage and transportation of vaccines, I have talked to 2 nurses so far, one says she picks up her vaccines from a pharmacy or similar on the day, for the day, where as the other will often have vaccines for several days and would therefore keep them in the fridge.

Do you have to keep vaccines for a long period of time?

One of my ideas is to have a built in refrigerated module, possibly one that you could take out and then put in your fridge when your at home, this would have a power source that would have to be recharged (probably daily).

Another idea would be to have a special insulated module to keep the required temperature, this may have slots to put the ice/gel packs around the vaccines, but not touching them in case it causes accidental freezing.

Do you think these would be useful? or would the fact that you already have a vaccine transport bag mean you keep using that? and therefore maybe just an available slot to put them in?

Although I am aiming to design a trolley, I am also looking into the possibility of it being more of an over-the-shoulder bag, or at least having it as an option. Forgetting the problems that you have had with trolleys and over the shoulder bags in the past, would you prefer a trolley or bag, if they did more-or-less the same thing?

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Specializes in Public Health, L&D, NICU.

Honestly, I need something with wheels and shoulder straps.

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Specializes in CCM, PHN.

We used the AcuTemp vaccine hand carrier. Great product, Google it

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I'm very sorry I have not kept everyone who has helped up to date, I would of liked to, but its been a hectic few months, my project is near the end now, and while it doesn't look how I imagined it at the start, I am confident that I have come up with a near final design (still a bit of tweaking) I'm not sure if I can post images on here and for obvious reasons I don't want to put the design on the internet yet, however if anyone is interested I would be happy to email them some pictures and a explanation to what I've done, I would also appreciate your feedback as you have all been very helpful throughout this project.

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