Paracentesis Needle Stabilization Device; Care of the Whole Patient: The Competing Interests That Shape Personal Caregiving in U.S. Hospitals 451 views

How may hospital procedure be improved to help patients? In paracentesis (drainage of bodily fluid) procedures, how may the needle be stabilized for the duration of the procedure? Currently in paracentesis procedures there is no permanent solution to the problem of needle stabilization – if a problem occurs, doctors jury-rig a solution. By using a small medical device that uses a double-sided adhesive to attach to the patient’s abdomen during the procedure (acrylic-based adhesion for the device and silicon-based adhesion for the skin), the needle can be held securely in place. The needle is housed in a mobile casing that can slide in the device so it can be carefully shifted by the physician if necessary, to facilitate further fluid drainage. After an iterative design process, the medical device was 3D modeled in Autodesk Fusion 360 and will be printed for testing. In the future, clinical testing will be required to test the device in actual procedural setting. How are patient advocates, medical personnel, and hospitals competing to determine how best to attend to the emotional needs of the conscious patient? In order for a patient to receive holistic care and the best possible treatment, physical needs must not be the only focus of care. These competing social groups have differing strategies to achieve their goal of helping patients receive optimal care. If the patient’s health is the true goal then these social groups must each play a part in this solution. The patient is best served with direct, empathetic contact from medical practitioners in and out of hospitals and financial support from advocacy groups. Though these groups are competing, their solutions to improve patient health can work cohesively to best attend to a patient’s emotional needs and ultimately their overall health.

BS (Bachelor of Science)

medical device; paracentesis; gastroenterology; needle stabilization; patient care; patient emotional needs; holistic care

School of Engineering and Applied Science Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering Technical Advisor: Dr. Timothy Allen, Dr. Shannon Barker, Dr. Neeral Shah, M.D. STS Advisor: Dr. Peter Norton Technical Team Members: Caitlin Sheedy

English

All rights reserved (no additional license for public reuse)

2021-05-10