Clean Catch

What it does

Clean Catch is a seat for children under 2 to be used in emergency rooms and doctors, that creates a non-invasive solution to collecting a sterile sample of urine in a reliable, consistent and convenient manner. Improving the treatment of vulnerable kids.

Your inspiration

A friend who is an emergency nurse was complaining about how parents who came in with their children and needed to collect a urine sample for urgent diagnosis, barely ever managed to catch a sterile sample to accurately diagnose the child, and as a result, how bad she felt about having to catheterize a child and that the parents had to leave the room because it was too traumatic for them to watch. After asking a few more questions about why this was, it dawned on me that sterile urine collection from babies pre potty training was a major problem that healthcare staff and families have to experience, with no current adequate solution.

How it works

The child in need of a urine sample is placed on the seat and strapped in, and sterile collection cup is placed in the cup mount and adjusted to an appropriate position for the child so that when the child urinates the cup is in the appropriate position to collect a 'flying stream sample' while shielded from any contaminating factors. The parent's attention is free to attend to the child's needs while they wait for the child to pass urine, instead of focusing on holding the cup without contaminating it ready to catch the sample. The viewing window and cup access hole allow the nurse to quickly and easily check when the sample has been delivered and take it for analysis. Once the sample is delivered, the collection seat is sterilised for the next use, there is a single smooth surface over the whole product for ease of cleaning not allowing anywhere for bacteria and dirt to get trapped.

Design process

Using the double diamond design thinking methodology, I began the project by building a wide basis of primary and secondary research. I began with market research, and current sterile urine collection methods used around the world. I then conducted a series of user experience interviews, gaining an understanding of the experiences of 6 different families who have been through this before and how it made them feel, as well as interviewing 5 clinicians and nurses from CCDHB. I synthesised this into a set of concepts with several different solutions. Then using a co-design approach fed them back to Starship children's hospital nurses and clinicians who provided me with critique and feedback on the concepts. Among front-facing and 'front pack' concepts, the ‘car seat’ style collection seat concept received the most positive feedback, so I iterated it through sketch and physical prototypes several more times, feeding it back for clinicians critique. I finalised my design through CAD modelling and consulted with prospective manufacturers for material development. I then made a full-scale realistic prototype, and put it through a user experience demonstration, with a child.

How it is different

This is a blue sky product concept, there are currently no other products on the market that provide a non-invasive, reliable and accurate pediatric sterile urine sample collection. Current techniques for collecting sterile urine samples from children pre-potty training have major flaws. The current clean catch method​ ​–​ ​which involves the parent attempting to catch a ‘flying stream’ of urine, sitting the child on their lap for up to 4hrs whilst holding a collection cup​ ​–​ ​is time-intensive and frustrating for both parent and child. And the alternative of catheterization is traumatic for both parent and child. A paediatric research nurse commented: “This innovative new device to help collect a urine sample for an infant will aid in ensuring the most appropriate treatment for the sick child is provided in a safe manner, especially in some cases when getting a correct sample is time‐critical.”

Future plans

I am about to begin the process of commercialising it in collaboration with the Auckland District Health Board and Massey. This will begin with pre-commencement market validation and investigation into potential clinical champions and mentors. Next, I will undertake development and healthy children validation clinical trials. Then a Starship led independent clinical trial. When Clean Catch has been fully validated through clinical trials I will then partner with a manufacturer and produce and distribute the end product. I am hoping that Clean Catch will make a real improvement to the care and experience of vulnerable pediatric patients.

Awards

Clean Catch has been awarded a Red Dot: Product Design Award. Awaiting the online awards ceremony taking place in September.