Scopedesign.nl - DOC HEAVY

a comfortable
mobile operating chair
for patients with significant obesity

Summary of the DOC HEAVY

The number of overweight people is increasing. Reason enough for Doge Medical to expand their range of mobile operating chairs with a model that is especially suitable for this target group. Scope did desk research and discovered that little data is available about the use of operating chairs in heavy people and about their ergonomics. That is why we watched during operations in the obesity clinic of the Rijnstate hospital and we spoke to obese people through the Obesity Association. The result is a design with completely new ergonomics and mechanics, which takes the size and weight of heavy people into account as respectfully as possible.

operating mobile if you are overweight

After the Doc Classic and the Doc Maxi & Doc One , Doge Medical further expanded its 'mobile operating' portfolio with the Doc Heavy. The Doc Heavy is intended for obese people, who are very overweight. A target group that is growing in size in today's society and thus presented a new challenge for Doge in the range of 'mobile operating chairs' . Scope was involved again for the design and development

specific target audience

Scope went in search of specific product properties of a chair for obese people. Desk research provided the first clues, but it soon became apparent that too little data was available about the use of operating chairs in heavy people and about their ergonomics.

operating environment and needs

That is why Scope in the obesity clinic of the Rijnstate hospital monitored typical endoscopic operations. This allowed us to determine the position of the surgeon , among other things, and it turned out that the design of the operating table kept the doctor unnecessarily far from the patient. As a result, the surgeon is very far forward during these operations. To avoid this, the mechanics are designed differently in the Doc Heavy. Leg spread pivots are wider and the lower leg rests have been redesigned to move only in the horizontal plane.

During the interviews with surgeons, it also appeared that twisting (tilt) the body during surgery is important to allow organs to shift under the influence of gravity. That is why it is important that the chair can be lifted easily. Scope designed a base with three lifting columns that allowed us to handle the greater weight of the patients and integrate the tilt functionality in a cheap way.

focus group

Anthropometric information about obese patients is scarce. In order to collect more ergonomic data on the one hand and to learn more about the experiences of obese people on the other, a focus group was brought together with the obesity association. In discussion with this group, product properties relevant to obesity emerged, including an adjusted seat depth of the chair, in order to improve the sitting posture.

without transfers to treat

An important feature of the 'Doc range' mobile operating chairs is that patients do not have to make transfers. During the examination and treatment process, the chair and the patient are moved together! This makes the Doc Heavy very suitable for treating people who are considerably overweight .

ergonomics in functional design

All relevant product features were translated by Scope into a design with completely new ergonomics and mechanics . This took into account the size and weight of heavy people as respectfully as possible. Care was always taken to create a chair with a stigmatizing appearance.

The design was translated into a first functional model that was developed together with Idenova into a functional prototype. The model has been tested with patients together with TU Delft and the Obesity Association.

a comfortable mobile operating chair for patients with significant obesity