Industrial - Honours
Research shows that the demand for portable medical devices within home care settings is exponentially rising as patients want more flexibility and freedom with their care. The Portable Suction Drain was designed to allow lung cancer patients to relieve breathlessness at home. This medical device elevates self-empowerment through self-managed care.
The Problem:
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. These patients experience disabling symptoms such as breathlessness due to the build-up of fluid in the pleural space outside their lungs. The traditional wall-mounted suction drains in hospitals are used to remove excess fluid. However, they require patients to frequently visit hospitals and stay for long periods of time. Patients describe this experience as inconvenient and unpleasant and report wanting improved care delivery options that will provide freedom and flexibility.
The solution:
The Portable Suction Drain was designed to allow lung cancer patients to relieve breathlessness at home. It is a medical device that provides 20mmHg of gentle suction to remove built-up fluid from the space between the lungs and the chest wall that causes difficulty breathing. The device was designed for easy self-managed care to establish independence and self-empowerment for patients.
The final product is small enough to be portable yet sturdy to be appropriate for home use or any environment. It requires very few steps and is built with set pressure control. As it is designed for self-managed care, it is intuitive to use and involves very minimal controls to avoid confusion and intimidation. Not only that, but it is cost-efficient, which is a very important consideration in the healthcare sector. Therefore, this product adds tremendous value to healthcare.
The Value:
The development & the demand for portable medical devices within home care settings is exponentially rising. The market potential for medical devices is projected to grow from $450 billion to $660 billion in the next 7 years. Therefore, symptom management in healthcare with at home self-managed care options is revolutionizing.
Overall, the portable suction drain was designed to deliver value to patients. It allows them to relieve breathlessness at home with their loved ones by their side, elevate self-empowerment and overall improve their well-being.
With a passion for design in the healthcare field, Lara is motivated to create impactful design solutions that will serve the end-user and create real-world change. Lara intends to use her focused skills in design research and empathetic problem solving to allow for meaningful yet user-friendly design solutions.