Honours project - Nightingale - The redesign of the Trauma Bag for Ambulance Victoria by Catherine Barter at Coroflot.com

Honours project - Nightingale - The redesign of the Trauma Bag for Ambulance Victoria

Honours project - Nightingale - The redesign of the Trauma Bag for Ambulance Victoria from Catherine Barter

Honours project - Nightingale - The redesign of the Trauma Bag for Ambulance Victoria

I was alerted to the issues associated with the current trauma bag used by Ambulance Victoria. Some of the initial issues that were brought to my attention were the weight of the current design and the fact that the 7.3 kg bag is carried over the one shoulder. Many of the vials in the current bag look the same from the top, which has led to administering errors. The way the current items where placed in the bag have lead to some items where seals have been broken.
The nightingale has been designed to disperse the weight of the bag evenly across two shoulders; this halves the weight on the one shoulder improving rotational movement for the paramedic. When the bag is used as a trolley and dragged behind the paramedic the weight problem is eliminated. The content is sorted into different categories; trauma, general, IV and airways equipment, ensuring the paramedics knows where everything is, eliminating errors and improving efficiency when treating of patients.

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The sketching process over the course of the bags design.
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The sketching process over the course of the sharps container design.
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This is the poster featured on the plinth

This is the final set up in the fourth year exhibition at Monash

This is a working prototype here i am demonstrating carrying it at a back pack

Top section: The top section houses the general items that need to be accessed first when attending to a patient. These items are held in place by a grid system of elastic that gets woven around the item. Like the other two compartments the walls are insulated and with foam and the interior is silver to contribute to insulating. On the inside of the lid there is a clear pocket where a checklist of items that stock the bag can be seen.

The mid section In here is located the IV equipment. An additional spacer board is found in her to add another layer to the drug and items that can be stored. The walls are insulated and lined with foam and the silver interior contributes to drugs insulation. The base and lid are lined with black Velcro allowing the drugs to stick. The drugs a held by label Velcro strips; the users can read the drugs though a clear plastic. The middle section, unlike the other two, does not have any cut outs in the exoskeleton. This is to ensure the drugs are safe and can only be accessed when the compartments are separated on the ground.

The base section: The cubes: Trauma items IV items Airways items And some general item such as bandaids The hazards pocket is also found: EM bags Patient’s medication bad Hazards bags The walls are insulated and lined with foam and the silver interior contributes to the insulating properties. The base and lid are lined with black Velcro this is how the cubed and hazards pockets are held in. On the lid some airway (LMA 3,4,5 components are found) these items are arranged from smallest to largest and are held by Velcro to the lid interior. This section feature three handles, two on the side and one at the top. The sharps container: The sharps container is stored in the shaft that is the hight thickness of the bag. The sharps contain is held in place by elastic. When and if the paramedic needs to take is out it comes out easily and quickly. The sharps container can either be accessed when in the shaft or be taken and stood up.

As part of the redesign of the trauma bag I also looked at the sharps container. i redesigned the shape and added hits to indicate where to push to flip the lid. I also looked at the sticker and the way the container in held in the bag. The container can be used when in the bag or taken out and stood up right closer to where it is needed. It is up to the user.