Perspective
Flexible displays in medical technology - Bachelor thesis as a follow-up internship project
What does the future of medical technology and our healthcare system look like? How can we relieve the burden on doctors, nurses and other medical staff in medical facilities? And how can digitalization support humanity in social systems?
In cooperation with the WILDDESIGN team, working student Alicia Kastner-Pöhlmann from Magdeburg addressed these questions in her bachelor's thesis . The starting point was the flexible, bendable display from Royole. But what advantages can we gain from the new, ultra-light, bendable and unbreakable technology in medical technology?
Together with the Hochfrankenklinik Naila from Upper Franconia and many interviews with nurses, doctors, therapists etc., the mobile healthcare device Ivi was created, which users wear as a wearable on their bodies.
The aim of the intensive process with many sketches, prototypes and meetings with the doctors was to create a vision of the future that was as realistic as possible.
The function - documentation, information and communication
Ivi is a mobile healthcare device in which the Royole display is integrated. It will initially be used in medical facilities such as hospitals and retirement homes.
The users of the display device are primarily the facility's medical staff. These include doctors as well as assistant doctors, therapists, nurses and others working in the healthcare sector. The medical staff have the device with them and can document, view and forward information to other colleagues at any time. The networked workflow is also made more time-efficient by scanning QR codes at the patient's bedside and on all devices and interfaces. By logging in with a user name and password, users ensure their respective access rights to the data.
Ivi makes cumbersome, time-consuming processes more efficient. For example, documentation can be carried out directly on the patient - the time gained can be invested in the patient. This relieves the burden on medical staff and supports humanity in the current structures of the healthcare system.
In addition, the internal organization is supported by networking among the medical staff, who can communicate with each other quickly and precisely via chat and Facetime. Shift schedules can be viewed and organizational matters can be clarified and recorded.
Use by the patient in the form of medical treatments, such as for therapeutic purposes, is also conceivable. Therapy exercises and sessions can thus be continued without the attending physician. Data transparency is also an advantage for the patient, as they can access it via the Ivi app. Diagnoses and evaluations can be easily downloaded and saved. This is a step towards a health app that documents vital data and can call up the most important data when necessary. In addition, unnecessary duplicate examinations are avoided. The treatment plan can also be viewed and patients are no longer left in uncertainty. Simplified access is also possible for relatives, so that they are informed of the latest information and can book appointments for visitors online without having to keep calling the facilities.
Ivi is a healthcare device that combines greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness with relief for the medical staff and an all-round carefree package for patients and their relatives.
The bottom line - more time, more humanity, more life
The vision of the future ultimately resulted in a functional model and the Royole display was built into the 3D printed prototype.
