UnTape
Project Abstract:
Medical tape is often used to hold essential devices to the skin for long periods of time Unfortunately without means for safe removal these strong adhesives are painfully removed from the skin often resulting in medical adhesiverelated skin injuries MARSI Initial stakeholder interviews have indicated that medical tape removal is not only painful for the patient but also causes significant anxiety for nurses and patients A 2015 study showed 986 of nurses considered skin tears common occurring in 15 of senior patients and 17 of neonatal patients A medical tape that offers high adhesion while providing means for safe removal is needed to eliminate MARSI and increase quality of care UnTape addresses this need by a providing a medical tape that has high adhesion during use but allows for easy and injuryfree removal The tape is simply heated for a few seconds with an FDAapproved heat pack prior to removal The result is a rapid and dramatic reduction of the force needed to remove the tape from the patients skin without risking MARSI During the WE REACH program UnTape will focus on executing clinical studies and optimizing UnTape pilot manufacturing The unique properties of UnTape will allow for even stronger skin adhesion for critical medical devices while concurrently reducing the risk of MARSI upon removal reducing nurse and patient stress and anxiety and providing higher quality medical care
