I- Corps Supplement to The PPAL: The Bedside Commode as a Safe Self-Toilet Transfer Device for Aging Adults I-Corps Program,

PPAL® I-CORP产品概要 床边便桶是为行动不便的老年人规定的，以减少 跌倒与不能安全地进入浴室来管理他们的排泄物有关。然而， 下肢无力的老年人高度依赖个人帮助， 转移到马桶上，给他们自己和他们的孩子带来福尔斯/肌肉骨骼损伤的风险。 照顾者 “PPAL®”采用一种新颖的创新方法来解决跌倒/受伤风险， 解决了与使用便桶相关的转移困难。在第一阶段，格鲁吉亚理工学院 创建了一个PPAL®原型，该原型将连接到座椅的转接板牢固地固定在座椅上， 由内部电动升降机提升。其结果是一个稳定的，双向的，和“总是下坡” 传输路径，而不管目的地表面的高度。他们目前正在招募 对于10名人类受试者-患有下肢无力的成年人-来测试原型， 安全性和可用性。对于第二阶段，SBIR公司QUA正在与密歇根大学合作， 匹兹堡的一项研究计划，将完善的大小和重量的PPAL®，增加轮椅- 在PPAL®潜在用户的家中进行便桶转移和安全性/可用性测试。 为了确保SBIR的所有三个阶段都取得成功，QUA为 2022年2月创新军团队列，由Peg Graham，QUA所有者和PI/DP组成; 行业专家Teresa Boynton，安全患者处理和移动专家;和技术专家 Paul Carlson，工业设计师。团队将进行至少100次客户发现 访谈，以收集有关产品的依赖性和行业兴趣的市场情报 这降低了患者/工作人员福尔斯/肌肉骨骼损伤的风险。I军团的团队将受益于 Vikriti管理咨询公司的技术业务评估（TABA）报告， 与常驻企业家John Sullivan以及QUA顾问委员会的意愿， 协助接触医疗保健领域的关键影响者和决策者。 本I-Corp项目的具体目标是（1）评估PPAL®的临床可接受性， 医院和疗养院的患者处理和移动方案;（2）探索卫生系统 领导层对PPAL®作为急性护理、家庭护理和熟练护理的干预措施感兴趣。 护理环境;以及（3）验证建议的价格点，销售周期假设，以及 为提交给私人投资者的可靠财务预测提供数量估计。 PPAL® I-Corp团队将编制一份报告，以告知第二阶段商业化计划。

The PPAL® I-CORP PROGRAM SUMMARY Bedside commodes are prescribed for older adults with mobility disabilities to reduce the risk of falling associated with being unable to safely access a bathroom to manage their toileting. Yet, older adults with lower extremity weakness are highly dependent on personal assistance to transfer onto commodes, creating a risk of falls/musculoskeletal injuries for themselves and their caregivers. The “PPAL®” takes a novel and innovative approach to address that fall/injury risk by resolving the transfer difficulties associated with using commodes. In Phase I, Georgia Tech created a PPAL® prototype that securely affixes a transfer board connected to a seat that is elevated by an internal motorized lift. The result is a stable, bidirectional, and “always downhill” transfer pathway, regardless of the height of the destination surface. They are currently recruiting for 10 human subjects - adults aging with lower extremity weakness - to test the prototype for safety and usability. For Phase II, QUA, the SBIR company, is working with the University of Pittsburgh on a research plan that will refine the size and weight of the PPAL®, add wheelchair - commode transfers and conduct safety/usability tests in the homes of potential PPAL® users. To ensure success all three phases of this SBIR, QUA created a 3-person team for the February 2022 Innovation Corps Cohort, comprised of Peg Graham, QUA Owner and the PI/DP; Industry Expert Teresa Boynton, a Safe Patient Handling & Mobility expert; and Technical Expert Paul Carlson, an Industrial Designer. The team will conduct at least 100 Customer Discovery interviews to gather market intelligence on toileting dependency and industry interest in a product that reduces patient/staff risk for falls/musculoskeletal injury. The I-Corps team will have the benefit of a Technical Business Assessment (TABA) report from Vikriti Management Consulting, a consult with Entrepreneur in Residence John Sullivan, and the willingness of QUA’s Advisory Board to assist with access to key influencers and decisionmakers across the healthcare spectrum. Specific aims of this I-Corp Project are to (1) assess clinical acceptance of the PPAL® by Safe Patient Handling & Mobility programs in hospitals and nursing homes; (2) explore health system leadership interest in the PPAL® as a toileting intervention for the acute care, homecare and skilled nursing environments; and (3) validate proposed price points, selling cycle assumptions, and volume estimates for solid financial projections for presentation to private investors. The PPAL® I-Corp team will produce a report to inform the Phase II Commercialization Plan.