Abstract

In the United States, maternity hospital gowns are usually designed to be a one-size-fits-all garment with full back openings that are physically and emotionally uncomfortable, immodest, and not functional. The purpose of this research is to understand the design requirements of patients and practitioners in order to redesign a functional maternity hospital gown. The researchers applied user-centered design (UCD) methods to develop a prototype based on data from market research and focus group interviews conducted in the Pacific Northwest. The researchers created a two-piece knit maternity hospital gown with an adjustable waist and a washable nursing breast pad insert system that contributes to the gown’s overall fit, mobility, closure access, modesty, and tactile comfort. Through wear testing and an online survey, the new prototype was found to be successful in enhancing physical and psychological comfort throughout different stages of labor and postpartum, resulting in a novel maternity gown concept that improves current design deficiencies and addresses the needs of both patients and practitioners.

摘要

在美国，妇产医院的长袍通常被设计成一种尺寸合身的服装，背部全开，在身体和情感上都不舒服、不合时宜且不实用。本研究的目的是了解患者和从业人员的设计要求，以便重新设计功能性妇产医院礼服。研究人员应用以用户为中心的设计 (UCD) 方法，根据在太平洋西北地区进行的市场研究和焦点小组访谈的数据开发了一个原型。研究人员创造了一件两件式的针织产科医院礼服，腰部可调节，还有一个可水洗的哺乳胸垫插入系统，有助于提高礼服的整体合身性、活动性、闭合性、谦虚度和触感舒适度。通过磨损测试和在线调查，