This radical redesign of the bedside cabinet and overbed table reduces clutter, makes cleaning easier and offers patients easy-to-access storage as part of the Design Bugs Out programme.
Designer: Hollington
Manufacturer: Knightsbridge Furniture Ltd
The problem
Existing bedside cabinets are designed to look like domestic cupboards. Their complex internal spaces, inaccessible surfaces, angular joints and rough, absorbent materials make effective cleaning very difficult.
The solution
A mobile patient bedside system that can be configured to suit different clinical settings and patient needs, with a design that makes it easy to disassemble and clean on a regular basis.
How it works
An engineering plastic called PBT was chosen for the microscopic properties of its surface. This hardwearing, mouldable material creates a smooth, durable wipe-clean surface inside and out.
Because the system is modular, individual components can be replaced if they become damaged, rather than replacing the entire product.
The new design is lightweight and fully mobile, allowing staff to clean the surrounding bedside area more easily and offering patients better access to clutter-free storage.
The designers' insights
In this short film, Hollington discuss the design of their Patient Bedside System.
Evaluation
Staff agreed that the new table was easier to clean, could be cleaned more thoroughly and was easy to move. They thought it was safe, stable and an appropriate size (even if, as some thought, it was bigger than the old one). Adjusting the height, however, was more of an issue with only just over half agreeing that this was easy and 17% disagreeing. Nonetheless, 72% thought it was better than the old table.
Patients’ and visitors’ views were similar to those of staff but, despite the issues around height adjustment, 91% of patients and 87% of visitors liked the new table. The work carried out by a human factors expert confirmed these views.
A particularly useful feature was the design of the table feet which enabled it to be easily moved into position around a seated patient’s legs. Adjusting the height up was easy, while adjusting it down was a problem. Additionally, the lower position of the table surface was higher than quoted by the manufacturers and would be on the high side for smaller, seated users.
It was also observed that almost all tables had rubbish bags taped or bulldog clipped onto them. Tape leaves a sticky residue and clips can mark the table, so this is an issue that needs to be addressed. The manufacturer is looking to develop a clip-on solution following this feedback. Tables showed signs of staining and scuffing; however, the manufacturer is arranging for a protective stain-resistant coating to be incorporated into the table‑top material and this is still under development.
A further issue that arose during implementation related to the collar connecting to the upright which led to some tables failing to lock into the desired height or becoming stuck at a given height. A retrofit has been arranged but not yet evaluated.
The laboratory-based cleaning assessment showed little difference between the old and the new tables, although the new one may be marginally easier to clean. Jet washing should not be used as it damages the seal between the upper and lower surfaces of the tray.
In summary, the new table has some significant advantages compared with the old one, but improvements to the height adjustment mechanism and assurance that the issue of staining has been resolved would further enhance the product.