Student in need of help!

[davidjamesnewman]

Hello my name is David and I am a Product Design student which is part taking in a medical devices project which I hope to finish my degree in so I would really appreciate any help I can get, as there is potentially a internship at the end of this project. So basically I want to obtain a design brief for myself, Something in your everyday line of work that you feel could be better designed. Something which you feel if was done better would make your job easier and also the quality o service giving would improve.

Your suggestions could be on a broad process which could be re structure or even a simple device which needs to be updated. As I said before any help giving would be greatly appreciated, I know this not necessarily directly nursing related so I apologise if any inconvenience is caused.

Thanks,

David

[Kitiger, RN]

How about designing a Hoyer loft sling that doesn't have loops that get caught in everything? By 'everything', I mean wheelchair handles, brakes, and anything that sticks out even a little. I keep telling myself that whoever designed this thing should be required to use it for a week. The design would then be changed! The design would still need to accommodate patients of different sizes. Perhaps having a way to close the loops that I'm not using would be the ticket.

How about making IV pole wheels that are easier to clean. The carpet strings get caught and freeze up the wheels. (I work home nursing, private duty.)

I would like a portable wheelchair ramp that can hook onto a van that has been modified to secure a wheelchair. (The expensive wheelchair lifts break down, and then we're stuck.) The ramp should be long enough to make it easy to push the wheelchair up, maybe the same rise as the wheelchair ramp that goes into the house. Bonus points if it doesn't weigh a ton.

A portable side rail that can be fastened securely to a bed would be great. It would need to be secure enough for the patient to lean on, so I'm talking about something that can be fastened with metal hardware, maybe to the underside of the bed. It would need to fold down to a size that fits into the car easily. We could take it with us when we visit relatives out of town.

Come on, fellow nurses, I'm sure you can add to the list.

[smf0903]

Two words: female urinal

Good luck to you!! Keep us updated!