Generation & Evaluation of Hand Therapy Devices for Epidermolysis Bullosa
Designing clothing for rare skin conditions
Researchers in the Faculty have developed ground-breaking new garments for patients with the rare skin condition Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), which causes widespread blistering and wounds.
The GLOVE Project stands for ‘Generation and evaluation of hand therapy devices for epidermolysis bullosa’ and is led by Patricia Grocott, Professor of Nursing Technology Innovation.
Designed in partnership with clothing designers, carers, clinicians and patients, these garments reduce the difficulty of re-bandaging on a day-to-day basis, greatly improving quality of life for patients. The project has successfully produced a product line of clothing designed especially for EB patients, available via the NHS. Patients who do not have EB but have extensive wounds have also benefitted from these garments.
In this video, patients share their experience of using the garments, alongside an overview of the project from Professor Patricia Grocott and Dr Tanya Graham, the researchers behind this innovation.
As Epidermolysis Bullosa can cause loss of hand function due to scarring, which can conjoin the fingers, the research team have been working on devices to delay and prevent deformities of the hand and help patients retain the use of their fingers.
Download our project infographic (0.82 MB PDF)