For this phase of the project, we used the information gathered from our stakeholders last semester. This includes our interviews with surgeons and information that we found from literature. We did not reach out to any of our stakeholders for the alpha phase, but intend to talk to Dr. Grant within the next few weeks to show him what we have so far and gain invaluable feedback that will help our design moving forward. Our stakeholders include:
- Medical Practitioners
- Direct feedback from talking with interviewed doctors during the design phase will be incredibly valuable for the beta prototype. After already having two prototypes, their advice can be direct and constructive. We also expect that medical practitioners will be included when discussing how to incorporate the more challenging or nebulous functional requirements.
- Direct feedback from talking with interviewed doctors during the design phase will be incredibly valuable for the beta prototype. After already having two prototypes, their advice can be direct and constructive. We also expect that medical practitioners will be included when discussing how to incorporate the more challenging or nebulous functional requirements.
- Residents/trainees
- Feedback and talking with resident doctors/surgical trainees about current uses of guides in teaching and their reactions to our prototype will be needed for ideation on the Beta prototype and helping confirm each of the functional requirements can theoretically be solved before testing.
- Feedback and talking with resident doctors/surgical trainees about current uses of guides in teaching and their reactions to our prototype will be needed for ideation on the Beta prototype and helping confirm each of the functional requirements can theoretically be solved before testing.
- Hospitals
- While harder to reach, this could be looked at in two ways. Cost of the guide is probably most important to this stakeholder, so the total cost of the prototype and projections of the cost in production will be a metric that this stakeholder is interested in and should be considered in the evaluation. If there is a connection to a hospital management staff their reaction to the guide could be included in the evaluation, but shouldn’t be required. Cost of our guide can be compared to the cost of other tools on the market currently.
- Less of a priority than making sure it works properly.
- Patients
- Patients are included as guides and are hopefully able to improve healing time after the surgery and experience less failed surgeries. It is important to keep patients in mind during the beta phase, but they are not experienced with the topic of ACL repairs so their input will not be of help at this time.
- Patients are included as guides and are hopefully able to improve healing time after the surgery and experience less failed surgeries. It is important to keep patients in mind during the beta phase, but they are not experienced with the topic of ACL repairs so their input will not be of help at this time.
- Families
- It is important to consider the impact of our device on families of patients. This being said, families of patients are not experts on the topic of ACL repairs and therefore, it is not important for us to reach out to them during this phase of prototyping.
- It is important to consider the impact of our device on families of patients. This being said, families of patients are not experts on the topic of ACL repairs and therefore, it is not important for us to reach out to them during this phase of prototyping.
- Insurance companies
- Cost and reliability is most important to insurance companies, evaluations of cost and longevity of the guide should be how this shareholder is taken into consideration. Cost of our guide can be compared to the cost of other tools on the market currently.
- Not the most important but will be kept in mind.