NHS Surgeon Designs Award-Winning Device to Protect Children from Door Crush Injuries

An NHS surgeon has developed an innovative product to protect children’s hands and fingers from preventable door crush injuries after seeing the devastating and sometimes lifelong impact of such accidents.

The handisure® door finger guard works automatically to stop the door from closing when opened, even by a toddler. It is easy to install and stays in place once installed. handisure® has already scooped seven national and international awards, including the Design Council UK Spark Award, Best British Invention and the Best International Design at the British Invention Show along with two European Product Design Awards and an International Design Award. It is now stocked by Amazon UK and USA.

Creator Pulathis Siriwardana was moved to create the design, which protects against hinge side as well as lock side injuries following a scare involving his baby son. He said, “As soon as our son started crawling, we did what all good parents did and installed as many safety gadgets as we could find. One day, I heard a thunderous door slam followed by my son’s cries and my wife’s scream. I realised we had forgotten to place a doorstop.

“As a surgeon, I know what a life-changing event a door crush injury can be. I imagined him never being able to learn a musical instrument, struggling on computers at school and for a second, I wondered if he might have lost the chance to follow in my footsteps as a surgeon.

“Fortunately, the slamming door had just missed his hand. Too close for comfort. We were lucky that time, but it was a disaster waiting to happen and that’s what prompted me to design a product which would work automatically and protect children’s’ fingers and hands from slamming doors.”

Data from the Royal Society of Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) confirms that nearly 30,000 children are admitted to the NHS with door-related injuries each year. Almost 1500 require surgery at an estimated healthcare cost of around £25 million pounds. In the USA, 15,000 children lose at least part of a finger every year as a direct result of door crush injuries.

Kane Kramer the inventor of the digital audio player, the technology behind the iPOD, said “My son Luis trapped a finger in a door on his 8th birthday. If only handisure® was there to prevent the accident, my son would not have a disfigured finger today. It is a brilliant solution to an easily avoidable accident.”

Made from fire-retardant, non-toxic plastic, the handisure® door finger guard will last a lifetime and meets British and European Standards (BS EN Standards). The model now on sale is the result of more than 15 different versions and over 64 prototypes. It is unlike anything else on the market and offers peace of mind to busy parents with fix and forget installation, child safety ‘Smart Head’ and placement away from even the most curious of toddler hands.

Find out more at: www.handisure.com