Design of Innovative Clothing for Pressure Injury Prevention: End-User Evaluation in a Mixed-Methods Study

Anabela Salgueiro-Oliveira, Anderson da Silva Rêgo (), Paulo Santos-Costa, Rafael A. Bernardes, Luísa Filipe, Liliana B. Sousa, Rochelne Barboza, Miguel Carvalho, Maria Bouçanova, Maria Clara Ferreira da Graça Lopes, João A. Apóstolo and Pedro Parreira
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Anabela Salgueiro-Oliveira: Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), 3000-232 Coimbra, Portugal
Anderson da Silva Rêgo: Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), 3000-232 Coimbra, Portugal
Paulo Santos-Costa: Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), 3000-232 Coimbra, Portugal
Rafael A. Bernardes: Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), 3000-232 Coimbra, Portugal
Luísa Filipe: Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), 3000-232 Coimbra, Portugal
Liliana B. Sousa: Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), 3000-232 Coimbra, Portugal
Rochelne Barboza: Centre for Textile Science and Technology (2C2T), University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimaraes, Portugal
Miguel Carvalho: Centre for Textile Science and Technology (2C2T), University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimaraes, Portugal
Maria Bouçanova: Impetus Portugal-têxteis Sa (IMPETUS), 4740-696 Barcelos, Portugal
Maria Clara Ferreira da Graça Lopes: Unidade de Cuidados na Comunidade Norton de Matos (UCCNM), 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal
João A. Apóstolo: Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), 3000-232 Coimbra, Portugal
Pedro Parreira: Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), 3000-232 Coimbra, Portugal

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 18, 1-17

Abstract: The global relevance of pressure injury (PI) prevention technologies arise from their impact on the quality of life of people with limited mobility and the costs associated with treating these preventable injuries. The purpose of this mixed methods study is to evaluate the design of a prototype integrating Smart Health Textiles for PI prevention based on feedback from specialist nurses who care for individuals who are prone to or have PIs. This is a mixed methods study. A structured questionnaire was conducted as part of an evaluation of a prototype garment for the prevention of PIs. This questionnaire was applied during the evaluation of the prototype and afterwards focus group discussions were held with experts. Descriptive statistics techniques were used to analyze the data and thematic and integrated content analysis was conducted through concomitant triangulation. Nineteen nurses took part, aged 30 to 39 years (52.6%) and with 12.31 ± 8.96 years of experience. Participants showed that the prototype required more manipulation and physical effort, which interfered its usefulness, in addition to presenting difficulties with the openings and the material of the closure system, which interfered with the ease of use and learning. Overall satisfaction with the product was moderate, with some areas for improvement found, such as satisfaction, recommendations to colleagues, and pleasantness of use. It is concluded that areas for improvement have been found in all dimensions, including in the design of openings and the choice of materials. These findings supply significant insights for improving clothing to meet the needs of healthcare professionals and patients.

Keywords: biomedical technology; wounds; ergonomic design; protective clothing; pressure injury; mobility limitation; bedridden persons; 4NoPressure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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