CASE STUDY
Co-design workshops with children and families to develop enteral feeding medical garment
UNMET NEED
At present, children and young people (CYP) and their families across the UK face a number of challenges when securing and maintaining enteral feeding lines and devices that are vital for survival and management of their conditions. Young children often pull on and remove their lines and devices, which can increase the risk of infection and require additional visits to hospital. No product currently exists to resolve this clear need. Parents/guardians are often forced to develop bespoke solutions which are not fit for purpose.
SOLUTION
Tookie Ltd, an SME specialising in medical garments, collaborated with NIHR CYP MedTech and the gastroenterology clinical team at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust to conduct a series of co-design sessions in early 2020, led by Dr Arun Urs (Consultant in Paediatric Gastroenterology).
The co-design sessions focussed on the design of a medical garment that aimed to improve the security of various tubes and lines while undergoing treatment both in hospital and at home.
Parents/guardians of children with enteral feeding requirements and healthcare professionals were invited to attend the sessions. Families were given the opportunity to provide feedback on the designs based on their own personal experiences. Families were also invited to complete a structured questionnaire that asked them to consider the impact of the garments on their child’s quality of life and health needs.
Two garment designs emerged as a result of the co-design sessions, one for infants aged 0-2 years and another for children aged 2+ years. Both designs include a central pouch opening to allow universal line access, with added design features providing further ergonomic and functional support for each age group. The final designs are currently undergoing CE mark testing prior to their official NHS launch.
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT BEFORE WORKING WITH NIHR CYP MEDTECH
Basic idea
Concept development
Prototype development
Prototype validation
Clinical testing
Regulatory approval
Manufacturing
Commercially available
SUPPORT PROVIDED BY NIHR CYP MEDTECH
Access to NHS clinical teams
NIHR CYP MedTech facilitated a collaboration between Tookie Ltd and the gastroenterology clinical team at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust to ensure their clinical expertise was included in this project.
Validation of unmet needs
NIHR CYP MedTech collaborated with Tookie Ltd and the gastroenterology team at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust to plan and deliver co-design sessions to validate unmet needs in enteral feeding.
Child and family involvement
NIHR CYP MedTech worked with the gastroenterology clinical team at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust to identify and invite families to take part in the co-design sessions.
NEXT STEPS
The finalised designs are currently undergoing CE mark testing to ensure they meet health and safety standards before they are available on the NHS supply chain.
IMPACT
This garment will help CYP who require enteral feeding to live healthier, more active, and dignified lives, as their various lines, devices, and fluid bags will be secured underneath their clothing.
FUNDING
NIHR CYP MedTech provided support in kind to undertake the co-design workshops.
PARTNERS
Last updated: 18 May 2022
