title: The development of the Port-a-Bidet: a portable bidet for people with minimal hand function.
abstract: Our Institute has investigated the expressed needs of many severely disabled people. One requirement was for a portable bidet that would fit on a standard toilet, so that they could still have some of the advantages of their automatic washing/drying/flushing toilet when away from their own house. Potential users were consulted, from the specification stage through to final production model testing, to ensure that the desired device was produced. The Port-a-Bidet is a lightweight device, with its own water container, spray unit, pump and power supply. It allows a user with very weak arms to wash themselves with warm water, and a hands-free drying method is explained in the instruction booklet. The whole unit is transported in a discreet carrying bag, and can easily be set up by an unskilled person. The Port-a-Bidet can be controlled by commercially available single switch activators, so that any user can operate it.
authors.affiliation: Brunel Institute for Bioengineering, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burkitt
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Kay
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Torrens
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sandbach
mesh_terms: D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004867:Equipment Design; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006225:Hand / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D016472:Motor Neuron Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012656:Self-Help Devices; D014038:Toilet Facilities