As part of a project carried out at Hitit University, a counting glove has been designed to facilitate the counting of materials during surgeries. The glove, which will provide significant convenience for healthcare personnel during surgeries, has received design registration from the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office.
Hitit University, specializing in Mechanical and Manufacturing Technologies, has designed a glove designed to facilitate the counting of materials during surgeries by faculty members Prof. Dr. Gülay Yılmazel, Dr. Ayşe Çalmaz, and Dr. Remziye Cici.
The designed glove will ensure accurate and safe counting procedures, particularly in operating rooms, ensuring sterility. Due to the limited space available for note-taking in surgeries, the counting glove will provide significant convenience for healthcare professionals during material counting and maintain a sterile area. The application process for utility model registration for the product, which has received a design registration, is ongoing.
The counting glove functions thanks to a pocket located on its top. Writing written on the pocket with a sterile pen is transferred to the notepad inside, allowing for sterile procedures without removing the notepad.
"The counting glove will provide advantages in maintaining sterility and counting safety."
Prof. Dr. Gülay Yılmazel, a faculty member at the Faculty of Health Sciences, provided information about the glove, saying, "Our invention is called the 'Counting Glove.' The technical field it pertains to is the use of sterile gloves. Sterile gloves are disposable medical consumables packaged in sterile packaging. These gloves are mandatory for healthcare personnel to wear when interventions are required on sterile areas of the body, such as open wound care, urinary catheter insertion, and surgical procedures. Furthermore, the use of sterile gloves is essential when maintaining the sterility of the medical equipment used. It is crucial that these gloves are used in accordance with the donning and doffing instructions. Otherwise, the risk of infection may increase. Our counting glove invention is designed to provide advantages not only in operating rooms, but also in maintaining sterility and ensuring the accurate and safe conduct of counting operations."
"The Counting Glove aims to make a significant contribution to both healthcare and science."
Dr. Faculty Member Ayşe Çalmaz said, “The idea for the counting glove arose when we encountered the crisis management processes we encountered during our work in the operating room. Patient safety in operating rooms is an extremely critical and priority issue. A counting process is regularly carried out during procedures in this area. However, this counting process is usually conducted in semi-sterile areas because there is not enough space within a fully sterile area to take notes. Based on this need, we invented the counting glove. This invention will allow the nurse managing the sterile area to effectively manage unexpected developments during the surgery, such as extended surgery times, staff changes, or the availability of additional supplies. This will ensure patient safety and minimize re-hospitalization rates, infection risks, and subsequent complications. The counting glove has received a design registration from the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office as an innovative product that facilitates crisis management for healthcare personnel in high-risk environments such as operating rooms. Furthermore, the product's utility model application process is currently ongoing with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office. In this respect, the counting glove makes a significant contribution to both healthcare and science.” "It aims to make a significant contribution," he said.
"Reduces stress on healthcare professionals"
Faculty of Health Sciences Dr. Remziye Cici emphasized that the counting glove will greatly facilitate the prevention of adverse events during surgery. She said, "Surgical procedures are highly complex areas where a large number of materials and instruments are used. Therefore, it is crucial for surgical nurses, especially operating room nurses, to double-count the materials used before, during, and immediately before the incision site is closed, and to document these procedures. Designed to prevent undesirable situations during surgery, the counting glove, designed to prioritize patient safety, reduces stress on both nurses and other healthcare professionals, simplifies the counting process, and makes it safer."
