A clean seat for porters
June 1st 2009 UK medical products manufacturer Vernacare is to trial its new porter's chair at seven
'showcase hospitals' as part of the Design Bugs Out Challenge
Vernacare has been working with design
consultancy Minima to create a new ultrahygienic
prototype porters' chair. "Our new
chair is light years away from existing models, which
have seen very little design development for 30 to 40
years," claims Jane Kent, new product development
manager for Vernacare.
"Because porters' chairs can carry infection into the
healthcare environment from the outside world, they
present a health risk.We felt it was high time that this
traditional product was given a total revamp – with
infection prevention as well as comfort and functionality
in mind.
"The new Vernacare chair is durable and comfortable.
Its design makes it easy to clean while reducing
the number of obvious user 'touchpoints'where
infection can be spread.
"As part of the development process, our inhouse
design and development team worked with
Minima to consult a variety of experts including infection
control nurses, porters, lifting and handling experts and
other healthcare staff.This informed the design process,
but we have also based some of our thinking on our
Vernachair, which is a three-in-one commode, shower and
sani chair that can be fully dismantled to enable effective
cleaning."
Smoothing out bugs
The surfaces of the chair are smooth and easy to clean
and any joins are carefully located to reduce the risk of
trapping harmful bacteria.
The chair incorporates a footrest which rests on the floor,
but raises as the patient's weight is applied to the seat,
eliminating the need to use hand contact to manoeuvre
the footrest.
The chair comprises three moulded parts that come apart
easily for deep cleaning, or when replacing a single part in the
event of damage, thereby saving money.
The arms swing out of the way for lateral transfer of
patients and the leg supports can either come straight
out or angle down at 20 degrees to give support
without the need to elevate the whole leg to
horizontal.
Tough and durable polypropylene will be used
for good chemical resistance against cleaning
products.The new design also incorporates storage
space for gas bottles and patient documents, and a
flat base under the seat provides a storage area for
the patient's belongings.There is also a holder for
antibacterial wipes to encourage frequent cleaning.
The braking system locks all four wheels at once,making the
chair safer and easier to get in and out of, and there is a hook to carry
catheter bags.The new design uses light coloured materials, which
helps to demonstrate to patients that the chair is clean.
Vernacare hopes to begin manufacturing of the chair later this year
and to have the new product in hospitals by early 2010.
Top team
The Vernacare product development team was one of five winners of
the national Design Bugs Out competition, launched by the Design
Council and Department of Health as part of its HCAI Technology
Innovation Programme.Other winners provided new solutions for
commodes,mattresses, patient bedside systems, patient chairs, selftiming
cannulas, curtain clips and blood-pressure cuffs.
Backed by the UK's leading experts in design, healthcare,
microbiology, nursing and patient care, the project aims to identify
and fast-track the implementation of new
technologies and design-led innovations
to combat healthcare associated
infections (HCAI). More articles from VernaCare Ltd: | 
