Project 1 was centred on developing a solution for a patient that uses an ostomy bag, which adheres to all the patient's primary objectives and restrictions. Numerous design iterations were made, which are further expressed in the Design Process section below. The Final Prototype my colleagues came up with is shown below.

<aside> 💡 Patient Summary: Our team was assigned Tahani Al-Jamil, a physically active ostomate partaking in daily runs and working a job that requires frequent twisting of the abdomen and bending over. Tahani uses a two-piece system comprising a drainable ostomy pouch and a convex flextend barrier for her condition. However, her experiences with the system have not been satisfactory. Aiming to improve her experience, we designed a low-fidelity prototype that comprises the original two-piece system with some additional features and tweaks to it

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Reflection

For the first time, I got to work as a team to solve an issue and see our ideas be implemented. It became clear to me as the project progressed that adopting a single-minded concept in its entirety would not solve the problem; rather, a fraction of the ideas presented by all participants would be necessary for true success. I was beyond motivated to discover a solution to a problem that affects millions of people since I have a personal connection to this, as I was fortunate enough to meet a very young child at McMasters’ children hospital who currently is in use of an ostomy bag and multiple other medical devices.

In the Justification of Solution section of our final report, the following was uncovered:

1. The velcro attachment increases the security of the ostomy-bag-stoma-attachment clipping mechanism.
2. The hip-clip mechanism anchors the bag to the hip to prevent it from swaying or rotating.
3. The final design accounts for Tahani Al-Jamil's objectives and constraints, and creates a foundation for further research for physically active endoscopy patients.

There are two devices available now that work to improve the stability of the stoma attachment to the ostomy pouch. As an added safety measure, the devices have an elastic band that secures the ostomy bag to the user's hip. With the hip serving as an anchor, the wearer may freely rotate their torso and the bag will always return to its original location thanks to the elastic band.

Final Design

Clip Device

Velcro Device

Design Process