Abstract:
Although they have been in use for centuries, modern bedpan design has remained stagnant. Bedpan use comes with many issues; many patients complain of discomfort and/or pain from the hard, cold surface, while nurses struggle to administer bedpan use hygienically and efficiently. Pressure injuries, which can be costly in both money and human lives, can develop if patients are left on bedpans for too long, and nurses experience one of the highest rates of workplace injuries from the repetitive strain of lifting and transferring patients. The goal of this project is to design and prototype a new bedpan for the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation Center to address these issues of patient safety, patient comfort, and nurse ergonomics. The bedpan developed differs from the recent solutions involving support cushions, waste transfer systems, and redesigned hospital beds, in order to focus on the geometric design of the bedpan itself. It has a unique round shaped “UFO” bedpan with a larger sitting area, which should allow nurses to roll the patient on and off with greater ease and redistribute pressure on the patient’s body, lowering the risk of pressure injury.