Rapidmed

What it does

To design and develop a portable, durable, and multipurpose storage solution tailored for household nurses, providing a highly organized and efficient system for carrying medical equipment, ensuring hygienic storage, and facilitated in-home patient care.

Your inspiration

Customer statements mentioned by nurses. The trolley bags can get too bulky at times making it difficult to move between patient visits. Some trolley bags have no labels making it harder to look for tools especially when new to the trolley. Some trolley bags only have one handle/strap for carrying. When climbing stairs, they make my wrists/shoulders hurt. Household nurses in Singapore face challenges in efficiently carrying and organizing medical equipment during home visits. Existing storage solutions often lack proper organization, ergonomic support, durability, and hygienic compartments, making it difficult to provide proper care.

How it works

Targets Home-based Nurses, Responder App Professionals and Paramedics. To suit users who have an average height of 160cm which is the typical size of a nurse in Singapore. Storage for a variety of medical tools and supplies. Durable high-strength plastic (ABS/polypropylene) for drawers, Acrylic for the casing which are water-resistant, Reusable materials which are 3D-printed for the drawer locking mechanism. Modular organization with dividers, Interchangeable drawers, locking mechanisms for secure drawers and Removable bin to dispose needles Ergonomic handles, shoulder strap and castor wheels for portability Carry up to 3kg of medical tools and supplies, while maintaining portability (≤4kg empty). Even weight distribution for ease of carrying. High durability with impact and scratch resistance.

Design process

Firstly , our group went through the concept generation stage. Each of our members came out with one idea each and we did the concept screening to rank our ideas. Finally we decided to combine my idea, Zi Xuan's idea and Wen hao's idea to form our baseline model. Next we used cardboard to fabricate the first prototype iteration. We realized there were some flaws to the design and we further tried to improve the design in the second design. We needed to create the product to suit the user which had an average height of 160cm. Next, we tried to use the luggage as the shell of a casing, to enable users to be able to remove the casing as users may not require to bring the whole medical workstation along. However, the compartment we fabricated was too large and the luggage itself was quite fragile and did not feel secure. Furthermore, we brainstormed together again and used the acrylic as the case of the product as a baseline for the user's body, we then bought these drawer like items to allow for organization and also a trolley. With the height of the drawer not being too tall, we were able to organize the medical tools well with dividers. We were able to use the drawers as a briefcase itself for medical tools once the locking mechanisms were installed.

How it is different

Current in the market bags for home based nurses, are made of nylon and are not organized properly. Items are squeezed in and could affect their functionality such as tubes being bent or plasters/tegaderms being bent thus being unable to fulfill their intended purpose. Has a carrying strap and handles to carry , not trolley like function. Weights about 3.6kg. Current in the market hospital trolley has a drawer like system to organize the tools well. However, it is not portable and usable within the hospital wards itself. Our iteration 3 is able to wheel it like a trolley, carry using the bagpack straps and also lift it up when required. It can remove the drawer , to make it like a medical toolbox which can be used when required and do not require the whole portable medical workstation. Has a iv drip stand which is retractable and a sharps box to be able to dispose off the needles or any other sharp objects. Weights 7.9kg but can be improved.

Future plans

To improve by lowering the weight of the product to the intended 3kg plus minus. Improve on the ergonomic support for backpack carrying function for better weight distribution. Incorporate rubber seals to ensure that there is no water ingress into the drawers and other compartments. Quick release mechanisms will be introduced to allow for on handed access , enabling faster and more convenient operation during urgent situations.

Awards