Pressure Ulcer Prevention - Biodesign
Pressure ulcer prevention investigation
Date: 2014
Location: Stanford, CA
Project: Biodesign Course, part 1 Design Research
Team: Alexandre Jais, Nima Ahmadi, Owen Falk, Tony Huang, Rikin Shah
Role: Design Research, Concept Development
Stanford is probably the best university in the world for interdisciplinary work between design and healthcare, it was one the main factors that made me decide to go there in the first place. The Biodesign program is the epitome of such work. I was selected to participate in the Biodesign course which involves team of students from the School of Engineering, the GSB and the school of medicine that work together to create together a product that solves a real clinical need for patient.
We decided to tackle pressure ulcers which are one of the leading cause of wound for patients with reduced mobility wether they are in the ICU or in long term care. We spent time at the hospital and interviewed key stakeholders, including nurses and hospital administrative staff (Stanford Head of Nursing) which revealed some key nuggets of information:
- pressure ulcers are a net loss for hospital with insurances not covering the cost of such wounds, with sometimes litigation costs added on top.
- the simple act of turning a patient regularly can prevent the presence of the ulcers
- there was a gap in the market with almost no cheap yet highly effective solution.
We generated four concept solutions, with our lead concept being the simplest. A simple accelerometer affixed to the patient that would detect its motion and wether he was turned, signaling to nurses through an app who needed to be turn and who was at high risk for pressure ulcer development.
