P19093: Over-Bed Hospital Table

Problem Definition

Table of Contents

1 Problem Statement
- 1.1 Background
- 1.2 Objective
2 Team Vision for Problem Definition Phase
3 Project Goals and Key Deliverables
4 Stakeholders
5 Interview Process
6 Customer Requirements
7 Engineering Requirements
8 House of Quality
9 Use Cases
10 Constraints
11 Risk Assessment
12 Problem Definition Project Timeline
13 Plans for next phase
14 Design Review Materials
15 Other Modules

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Problem Statement

Background

Bedside tables are used by patients for convenience, personal, and medical needs. It is a movable flat surface that hospitals and medical facilities use. Current bedside tables have limited surface area and it is too easy to knock objects off of them. In addition, moving the table is often inconvenient for healthcare providers.

Objective

The goal of the project is to collaborate with the Industrial Design team who is currently modifying an existing prototype of a bedside table. A critical issue with the current design is that the base cannot support the tabletop. The MSD team’s main focus will be redesigning the base to support the tabletop, fit easily under a hospital bed, and be easy to clean and maneuver. The final goal of this project is to create a working prototype that suits Rochester Regional Hospital’s needs and requirements.

Team Vision for Problem Definition Phase

During the Project Definition Phase, Team P19093 attempted to clearly define the scope of our project. This was primarily accomplished by:

Getting in contact with Studio 930 to determine who had previously worked on the prototype for this project.
- This ended up being an Industrial Design Masters Students Zoey Zhang and Shannon Connell
Setting up meetings with the Industrial Design Team who had main control of this project and determining what design aspects of the table they wanted us to work on.
- This narrowed our Team's focus onto redesigning the base of the Bedside Table prototype Zoey's Team had created.
- We also gained access to a lot of valuable research that had already been conducted by the previous team for this project.

Project Goals and Key Deliverables

The goal for the MSD team is to prototype a hospital bedside table base and integrate it with the Industrial Design team’s tabletop. The following key deliverables detail what the customer will receive at the completion of this project.

Deliverables:

Integrated prototype hospital bedside table ready for use
- CAD model files
- User guide on how to operate
Documentation
- Customer & Engineering Requirements
- Risk Assessments
- Powerpoint reviews
Dimensional specs
Feasibility analysis
Testing & troubleshooting analysis

Stakeholders

The stakeholders and levels are as follows:

Primary:

Patients
Nurses
Doctors

Secondary:

Visitors
Facilities Management

Tertiary:

Manufacturers

Interview Process

Go to Interview Questions and Interviewee Responses by clicking [here]

Customer Requirements

Customer Requirements are the basis for what the design of a project will entail. They are typically determined by interviewing the customer and key stakeholders.

The following are the bedside table customer requirements the MSD team will be focusing on which are the base and tabletop designs. The requirements were determined by discussing the current status of the project with the Industrial Design team. The Industrial Design team will focus on other aspects of the bedside table such as height adjustment mechanism.

Customer Requirements

The following is a ranking scale from 1-10 which determines the importance of each customer requirement. The same scale is used for the next 2 sections, the Engineering Requirements and House of Quality.

Ranking Scale

Engineering Requirements

The following are Engineering Requirements based on Customer Requirements. They are measurable values shown in both SI and English units

Engineering Requirements SI Units

Engineering Requirements English Units

House of Quality

The House of Quality is a chart that crosses the Customer and Engineering Requirements. It's purpose is to show what engineering requirements fall under what customer requirements, which Customer Requirement(s) are top priorities, and to show if there are any gaps that can be resolved early on so no major issues arise later in the design phase.

Customer Requirements vs Engineering Requirements

Use Cases

We considered different use case scenarios that the patients may need to use the bedside table.

When the care taker brings food to the patient
When patient drops an item
When the nurse brings medication for the patient
When the patient wants to get into the wheelchair

This was an early concept use scenario:

Bedside Table Use Scenario 1

This is the current use scenario:

Bedside Table Use Scenario 2

Constraints

Must follow requirements set by Industrial Design Group
Must be able to fit under hospital bed when being used by someone in the bed.
Cannot be so large that it protrudes from under the hosptial bed and impedes the movement of caregivers or visitors.

Risk Assessment

Preliminary Risk Assessment broken down by category:

Technical: the mechanics behind the project
Resource: material, knowledge
Safety: personal safety, operator safety
Environmental & Societal: involving stakeholder relations, team dynamic

Risk Assessment