A chronic wound is typically defined as one that has failed to go through the reparative process, meaning it has not achieved structural, anatomic, and functional integrity within a period of 3 months [1]. 6.5 million patients in the US suffer from chronic wounds, and an estimated 25$ billion is spent annually on treatment [2]. Treatment of such wounds is a very consuming process, and improvements would benefit clinical practice and patients.
This project has the involvement of the Twente hospitals ZGT and MST, from which we extract use case information and context-of-use-analysis, supported by the Design lab. The prototype being developed as part of my bachelor thesis is a monitoring system for chronic wounds. Thus, we must understand how clinical practice applies to this use case. This device will reduce costs, time spent and most importantly stress involved in taking care of the patients. It will also increase the frequency with which the patients receive feedback on the healing progress of the wound so that if any problems arise, they can be tackled much sooner.
The objectives of this project to help develop a design prototype of this device and create a mass production plan. I will leverage my experience in computer aided design tools, co-designing and translating users wishes into a design that takes into consideration context of use, user experience, manufacturability, and cost. Using rapid prototyping methods like 3D printing and laser cutting to develop and evaluate many concepts to receive accurate and qualitative feedback from the users and client. To create a mass producible prototype, I will translate the protype design into injection moldable parts, using fluid simulations to assess the manufacturability, including a bill of materials.