# Development of a Bariatric Mannequin System to Enable Realistic Examination Simulations of Obese Patients

> **NIH NIH R44** · INNOVATIVE DESIGN LABS, INC. · 2022 · $776,242

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The proposed project focuses on creating a bariatric mannequin simulator to educate healthcare students on
proper techniques specific and specialized to bariatric patient care. Significance: Obesity is one of the world’s
most significant and growing health problems. More than 2 in 3 adults are overweight or have obesity and
obese patients have a greater likelihood of requiring clinical intervention than those who are not overweight. As
such, healthcare professionals must be prepared to care for bariatric patients. Unfortunately, only a few
bariatric mannequins are available in the market today and those that do exist are used primarily for patient
transfer training. Our proposed work is significant and innovative because it addresses the lack of appropriately
proportioned, realistic, and respectful products to train health care providers in proper techniques for bariatric
patient care and does so in an engaging, hands-on manner. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that creation of a
realistic bariatric mannequin system will support enhanced learning interactions and increase knowledge
transfer for clinical education in addressing the care of obese and overweight patients. In the Phase I effort a
prototype system was successfully developed and analyzed. The pilot results of the technology demonstrated
a high degree of positivity, exceptional enthusiasm, and all Phase I metrics of success were met or exceeded.
Specific Aims: In Phase II the following aims are proposed: 1) Develop a complete, production-ready system,
2) Design a comprehensive suite of course and simulation curricula for use with the system 3) Validate the
system utility through human subject testing and expert evaluation of the system.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10401913
- **Project number:** 5R44DK123905-03
- **Recipient organization:** INNOVATIVE DESIGN LABS, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** John Paul Condon
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $776,242
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-15 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10401913

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10401913, Development of a Bariatric Mannequin System to Enable Realistic Examination Simulations of Obese Patients (5R44DK123905-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10401913. Licensed CC0.

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