The UJI and the Alcoy Department of Health will test the effectiveness of a non-invasive device for female urination in bedridden women as part of an industrial doctorate program
The doctoral student Ana Mesa, from the Industrial Technologies and Materials programme, will carry out a two-phase usability study at the Virgen de los Lirios Hospital in Alcoy
image: The Universitat Jaume I in Castelló and the Virgen de los Lirios Hospital of the Alcoy Health Department have signed an agreement to develop an industrial doctorate project that will evaluate the ease of use, efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction of users, healthcare professionals and carers of a device designed to facilitate female urination in the supine position. Research staff from the DIESIS group (Research in Applied Statistics, Product Design and Health) at the UJI and the Nursing Innovation Group of the Alcoy and Xàtiva-Ontinyent Health Department (GEQUO), associated with Fisabio, have developed this device. Ana Mesa La Guardia, a PhD student in the Industrial and Materials Technologies programme, will develop the project "Validation and final design of a device for female urination in the supine position (ERGOMIC) in the population of the Alcoy Health Department", which will serve as the basis for her doctoral thesis with industrial mention. The usability study in a controlled and real clinical environment will serve to verify the viability of the patented device, which has been validated on an experimental scale in the laboratory environment.
Credit: Hospital Mare de Déu dels Lliris del Departament de Salut d’Alcoi
The Universitat Jaume I in Castelló and the Virgen de los Lirios Hospital of the Alcoy Health Department have signed an agreement to develop an industrial doctorate project that will evaluate the ease of use, efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction of users, healthcare professionals and carers of a device designed to facilitate female urination in the supine position.
Research staff from the DIESIS group (Research in Applied Statistics, Product Design and Health) at the UJI and the Nursing Innovation Group of the Alcoy and Xàtiva-Ontinyent Health Department (GEQUO), associated with Fisabio, have developed this device within the framework of the UniSalut programme with funding from the UJISABIO sub-programme for collaboration between Fisabio and the public university of Castelló. It is currently funded by UJI>LAB Impuls (2024) for the valorisation and transfer of research results.
Ana Mesa La Guardia, a PhD student in the Industrial and Materials Technologies programme, will develop the project "Validation and final design of a device for female urination in the supine position (ERGOMIC) in the population of the Alcoy Health Department", which will serve as the basis for her doctoral thesis with industrial mention, supervised by Professor Jaume Gual (co-tutor of the thesis with Professor Pablo Juan) and Dr Nuria Doménech, nurse at the Alcoy Health Department.
The usability study in a controlled and real clinical environment will serve to verify the viability of the patented device, which has been validated on an experimental scale in the laboratory environment. The methodology involves conducting a two-stage usability test: the first stage will identify any usability problems in order to improve the product design, and the second stage will measure the efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction with the product. Both tests will involve patients, family members and healthcare professionals, and will use direct observation, interviews, surveys and performance metrics.
The devices known to date have problems with comfort and sealing, resulting in leaks due to poor watertightness, lack of fit and fixation. The device to be tested is simple, inexpensive, non-invasive and reusable. It does not need to be left in place because it is only used at the time of urination; it is configurable for different sizes and adjustable to any collection device; it is applicable to various pathologies and is specifically designed for the female anatomy.
INDUSTRIAL DOCTORATE
The Industrial Doctorate (https://doctoratindustrial.uji.es/) aims to encourage companies and institutions to participate in the training of research staff and to promote the transfer of knowledge from the university to the socio-economic environment. It can be developed in any field, from technology to the humanities. Currently, the UJI Doctoral School has 31 active doctoral students who are eligible for the industrial mention; to date, 42 thesis projects with industrial mention have been carried out (11 already completed) and a total of 38 companies or administrations and 33 research groups from the UJI have participated.
The advantages of completing a PhD with an industrial mention for students include participation in a real-world R&D&I project with a contract that provides them with work experience and supervision by professionals, while also giving them the opportunity to work with scientific equipment at the university. In addition, they have the option of obtaining funding for tuition, conference attendance or research stays.
For companies, it allows them to develop a strategic research project by taking advantage of collaborative work with academic research staff. It also gives them access to equipment, infrastructure and high-level knowledge, and increases their ability to attract highly skilled personnel who contribute to improving the competitiveness of the company. In economic terms, it opens up new opportunities for access to public funding.