In the realm of healthcare innovation, the groundbreaking ideas often arises from the frontlines of care. At JJ Hospital, amidst interactions with dedicated nurses and patients, insights regarding the critical nature of cleaning, maintaining, and securing IV lines became vividly apparent. It wasn’t merely about stabilizing the IV; it was about revolutionizing the experience—focusing on ease of use, minimal maintenance, and ensuring a gentle learning curve.
The core of these sketches revolves around pediatric patients' comfort. From conversations that illuminated the struggles of administering care to the little ones emerged a cascade of ideas, each sketch not just improving functionality but also showcasing empathy-driven innovation. The goal was clear: a solution that not only stabilized IVs efficiently but also catered to the unique needs and vulnerabilities of young patients, ensuring a smoother journey for both them and their caregivers.
Concept 1 | Comfort Hand-hold
Comforting a child during medical procedures is crucial. Ward rounds at any time of the day displayed a common thing. The patient's parents were at their bedside, not leaving their side. It was indeed heartwarming in the mundane corridors of the hospital ward. One such concept mirrors the hand-holding gesture between the child and the parent. The arm board is ergonomic, that follows the shape of the arm, making it more comfortable, and offering support to the child. This form of an IV stabilizer makes it easier for all three, the parent, the child, and the doctor as well to calm the child and monitor its progress.
Concept 2 | One-size-fits-all?
With patients of varying hand sizes, it can be difficult to cater to them. A flexible IV stabilization solution can help in this case. A snake-like form - inspired by its ability to capture an object within its body and turn in a firm grip - can hold the pediatric arm in place. A hemispherical cap allows access to the IV site and the cylindrical grip is comfortable for the patient to adjust their fingers. Although this concept has limitations like finding the right material and its longevity, we are sure with good research on advanced biomaterials it has a strong future scope.
Concept 3 | Glove-fit
A glove once worn secures the hand and is a perfect way to reduce the movement of the IV lines. Gloves are easily available today, reducing the manufacturing cost for the wearable. The palm side of the glove is made firm with flexible card material and the IV site is open and accessible to the caregivers. An alternative to make it more secure is a polymer sheet cover to prevent children from moving the cannula around. This glove structure is secured by velcro on the arm and the wrist. A channel is provided to fit the saline tube. This combined with an ergonomic foam arm board is comforting to the patient.
Concept 3 | Box IV Cover
This concept with an ergonomic foamboard and a memory foam is comfortable and soft compared to traditional straight boards that make finger movement difficult. The arm board has a curved surface towards the front, allowing fingers to curl and be free compared to the rest of the arm. A box structure with a lid and a child-safe lock prevent kids from handling the cannula. Velcro allows adjusting the stabilization wearable to different hand sizes. This device can serve more age groups compared to above concepts.
Concept 4 | Simplify
After a focused interaction with our esteemed surgeons and caregivers, we concluded that although the above four concepts serve to prevent current problems, they might even create new ones. For example, velcro is a great material but given its structure and texture, it can be difficult to clean and host microorganisms, adding to the risk of the patient. Secondly, the box, cover, and velcro together have an increased surface area, which may cause problems with cleaning, leading to added germ growth. Silicon straps as an alternative to velcro are helpful. It is easily cleaned and also adjustable if it has holes like a watch. A hemisphere has a smaller surface area, unlike the box. This concept is also simple, easy to wear, and has a shallow learning curve.
Concept 4 came after creating quick mockups of Concept 3. We will discuss them in the next blog!
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