Investigation of the simple mattress suturing technique

Abstract

<p>The research looks into investigating the simple mattress suturing technique with respect to human factors and ergonomics by comparing the conventional method of suturing with the devices developed by the researchers.</p> <p>The study looks at two aspects of suturing, to improve the learning experience of suturing and redesigning the existing needle holder to improve the speed of suture.</p> <p>The experiment is a 2 X 2 factorial design, consisting of 2 phases with 32 participants divided in to four groups. The first phase is the learning phase, in which 2 groups learn suturing with the learning tool and 2 groups learn without the learning tool. In the second phase, 2 groups of participants, suture with redesigned needle holder and 2 groups with the conventional needle holder.</p> <p>The study aims at studying the difference in the participant’s performance if one learnt without the guide, compared to the one who learnt with the guide, and the performance of the redesigned suture holder as compared to the traditional. The study also looks at if there is a difference in performance if the redesigned holder is used in conjunction with the learning tool, and hence, the four groups. The emphasis is on the speed of suturing and the quality of the suture knot specifically symmetry of the entry and exit points of a knot.</p> <p>The results show that the time taken by the participants to suture is lesser when learnt with the guide as compared to those who learnt the conventional. There is no effect on the quality of the suture by using the guide. The redesigned suture holder has shown to have better symmetry, without respect to the learning method with or without guide</p>