Clemson students develop arm stabilizer to help nurses draw children's blood

Published: November 30, 2011

Clemson students test the stabilizer they designed. image by: Clemson University

By Mary Mattox

CLEMSON — Clemson University students from multiple disciplines are working together to make pediatric medical care a little easier for children and nurses.

A Creative Inquiry team of students is working on a way to immobilize children's arms when nurses are drawing blood or inserting IVs. The Children’s Hospital of the Greenville Hospital System last year expressed a need for a pediatric arm stabilizer. When children now are brought to the treatment room to get IVs or have blood work done, they have to lie down and be restrained.

The students are working on a way to immobilize children's arms and allow them to sit up, which would make the experience less threatening and stressful for children. Students from bioengineering, mechanical engineering, nursing and marketing have been working together to develop a pediatric arm stabilizer prototype.

The students met with nurses and a child life specialist multiple times and measured the hospital beds at the Children's Hospital to design of the prototype. 

The students then presented their progress to a panel of hospital personnel, who offered advice on the design and positive feedback about their progress. Last semester, the mechanical engineering students used computer software to create 3D models of the prototype.

“We developed constraints and criteria for each piece of the restraint as well as developing multiple prototypes,” said Michael Reardon, a mechanical engineering major and the co-leader of the design team.

This fall, the students completed a pilot study that involved 10 nurses working with the prototype and a manikin. The nurses offered feedback and some suggestions to the design team. They recommended that the prototype have more comfortable straps to go around the child’s arm and more adjustments for different arm lengths.

“We developed a working prototype for the nurses to conduct a pilot study in order for us to be able to revamp the prototype and all aspects of the arm restraint," Reardon said. "Now that the study is done we have a few ideas on how to make the system better and what materials to use for a better device.”

The nursing students on the team, Allison Jarriel and Kate Coggins, are working to analyze the pilot study, while the mechanical engineering students, Russell Corwin, Reardon, Adam Spencer, Thomas Bridges and Christopher Hapstack, design a more functional prototype. The marketing student, Caroline Johnson, is creating a marketing strategy for the prototype, and Devin Walford, the team leader and bioengineering student, is focusing on beginning the patent process for the arm stabilizer.

“My favorite part has been watching the collaboration between the disciplines work together on a project,” said Arlene Johnson, the team’s adviser from the School of Nursing.

“This Creative Inquiry is giving them experiences to distinguish themselves from their peers, and they are solving a real problem that was proposed in the professional field,” said Todd Schweisinger, mechanical engineering adviser to the team.

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Creative Inquiry
Creative Inquiry is a unique program that gives Clemson University undergraduate students the opportunity to work on research projects that span disciplines and multiple semesters. Students work in teams with faculty mentors, take ownership of their projects and take the risks necessary to solve problems and get answers. Creative Inquiry participants develop critical thinking skills, learn to solve problems and hone their communication and presentation skills. For more information, go to www.clemson.edu/ci.