Author: knm6hd
Final Reflections-Kelly
Our project was a method to prevent positional plagiocephaly. This design ultimately evolved to be the combination of a monitoring system and an inflatable bed that moved in accordance with areas of high pressure that is produced when a baby in the PICU is resting on one side of the bed for too long.
Following the culmination of the medical design project, I walked away with a few valuable lessons. First, I fully realize that you will never be totally happy with the end result, but you must reach a stopping point and prefect what you have in order to show that you have indeed made progress in your design thought process. After talking with the physicians and medical professionals, I realized that there is such a wide range of thoughts on how things should be run and what the procedure should be, that it is likely you will get conflicting thoughts no matter who you talk to and it is important to just take a thought and run with it and at some point, take what you hear “with a grain of salt” so to speak. This is not to say to ignore input and thoughts, but to just make sure you are not totally derailing your project to please a single type of nurse or doctor, but rather a majority. Bias is a real thing and is often distinguished by age and length of time in the profession. Second, the other large lesson that I learn is that sometimes a visual is the best option. I was at first a little self-conscious about our lack of physical prototype for the final product. However, I realized that if we were to create a physical prototype without any other supplication of our intended inflation + monitoring system design, it would not have done our device and final idea justice with the time that we had. Therefore, I was content with the fact that we had a simulation that perfectly represented what we were intending for the monitoring system and then a progression of drawings for the integrated design. A prototype (for the purpose of class) does not necessarily have to be an actual device but a concept solution will work just as well if it best depicts the final product idea.
On a separate note, I thought the video format was a great way to show the design process and final product. To be honest, I was very nervous and slightly frustrated that we were thrown into a project without any video background. I quickly realized that it was an outlet of creativity that is not seen in a powerpoint presentation and was pretty fun to make. So all in all, I turned out really liking it. I think with some more “lessons” on some basic video platforms, it would be a great aspect of the class to continue in the future.
The value of Interviews
Through the process of the medical device design project, I have truly come to appreciate the importance of speaking with people in the field, dealing with the problem that we are trying to solve. There is no more valuable source that these physicians and nurses. My group has been back to the clinic three times and have gained something important each time. Each time, we have gained new insight into our problem and have had to rework our supposed solution. For example, we were initially focused on the prevention of flat head in the PICU. However, doctors and nurses kept reiterating the idea that it is not just flat head that is concerning for babies but also respiratory issues and bed sores. All of these symptoms can be alleviated from rotating babies along their central axis. This idea modified our need statement and created a greater possibility of solutions. Second, we also found the importance of the hands on experience for the nurse when rotating the babies to prevent flat head. This made us rethink the initial concept of an automated rotation device. The experience of being in the hospital and speaking with nurses has been invaluable.
Thoughts from the Search and Find
The small “search and find” activity that we completed in class on Friday definitely left me thinking. After commenting in class, I continued to think about how the activity as a whole made me feel in a pressure situation. I went into the activity having confidence that I could find the pen, no problem. How hard could it be? I was wrong. The pen was almost in plain sight (and I say almost in the most general sense) and I still was not able to see it. Once on person found it, the pressure increased. How could I not see it? It was clearly visible from some angle, it was just a matter of finding the exact right one. This went for both times we tried to find the pen. The activity as a whole has been the most reflective and informative day about the world of design for me. There are so many angle to approach a problem, so many view points to consider. What if I was to not pick the right one? There would potentially be no viable solution down a certain path. Adding to the pressure, there is a time constraint to find the perfect angle. However in the real world, there is no one to tell you where the pen is, or what the correct solution to the problem is. All these factors combined leave me knowing that no idea is a silly idea and every solution possible should be said in a brainstorming session about a design challenge. No one knows what can come of it. The most absurd angle can get the best solution.
Kelly-1st Post
My name is Kelly Miller and I am a biomedical engineer (shocker) also pursuing the pre-med track looking to go into radiology after medical school. I am currently in a conflicted state about this upcoming snow. I am itching to get outside to run but hate the cold, yet want one good snow to watch from the comfort of my living room.
I enjoy all things outside, especially hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway, as well as competing in triathlons.
I am excited for the upcoming semester in Advanced Design because I have always enjoyed the collaboration between the engineering field and medicine. There is so much possibility and allows something new to pursue. I am looking forward to what comes out of this class. (Hopefully a capstone project?)
BME Design 