The design of most surgical instruments has remained unchanged for many years despite the fact that medical technology has progressed rapidly in the last few decades. This does not mean that conventional surgical instruments are optimally designed however, but that the operability of these instruments relies heavily on the experience of the medical worker using them. Therefore, many accidents still happen in the operating room every day. The scalpel is no exception although it is the most used and indispensable instrument for surgery. Accidents with scalpels pose health hazards to both patients and medical workers; blood and body fluid exposure may result in the transfer of blood-borne diseases.

 

This poses the question, is the conventional scalpel designed optimally in terms of human-centered design?

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Through countless observations of surgeries and use experience of the conventional scalpel, we found serious problems in the handle design. The conventional model has a flat shape and is not ergonomically designed. It causes fatigue in surgeons and its output is completely dependent on the surgeons’ skill level. The non-slip processing on the handle performs poorly due to its design. Furthermore, this non-slip section causes a problem when blood coagulates on the handle and makes sterilization difficult after surgery. Finally, the blades of conventional scalpels need to be removed in the direction of the blade edge. This action is often performed with gloved hands that are wet with blood and saline solution. Needless to say, the chance for injury is high. 

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We designed a scalpel that improves safety and operability in use, by defining design requirements based on how the scalpel is held by the user.