In 2015, at least 20.000 registered patients suffered from foot ulcers in the Netherlands. These wounds commonly take two to five months to heal and come with a loss of mobility and a decrease in overall quality of life. For 15% of patients, amputation is necessary. These patients often receive nursing care at home and are often elderly, with an average age of 71.
To aid nurses and patients in this slow and strenuous process, our project at RAM Utwente is developing a device that will be able to scan foot wounds and monitor their healing progress. Its aim is to decrease the workload for nurses, increase the reliability and range of observations, and identify possible risk factors earlier. For this monitoring device and the connected mobile device, interfaces were designed to be integrated, automated, user-friendly and safe.
During the presentation, the design itself and findings from interviews and prototype testing will be discussed.