# I- Corps Supplement to The PPAL: The Bedside Commode as a Safe Self-Toilet Transfer Device for Aging Adults  I-Corps Program,

> **NIH NIH R43** · QUA, INC. · 2022 · $55,000

## Abstract

The PPAL® I-CORP PROGRAM SUMMARY
Bedside commodes are prescribed for older adults with mobility disabilities to reduce the risk of
falling associated with being unable to safely access a bathroom to manage their toileting. Yet,
older adults with lower extremity weakness are highly dependent on personal assistance to
transfer onto commodes, creating a risk of falls/musculoskeletal injuries for themselves and their
caregivers.
 The “PPAL®” takes a novel and innovative approach to address that fall/injury risk by
resolving the transfer difficulties associated with using commodes. In Phase I, Georgia Tech
created a PPAL® prototype that securely affixes a transfer board connected to a seat that is
elevated by an internal motorized lift. The result is a stable, bidirectional, and “always downhill”
transfer pathway, regardless of the height of the destination surface. They are currently recruiting
for 10 human subjects - adults aging with lower extremity weakness - to test the prototype for
safety and usability. For Phase II, QUA, the SBIR company, is working with the University of
Pittsburgh on a research plan that will refine the size and weight of the PPAL®, add wheelchair -
commode transfers and conduct safety/usability tests in the homes of potential PPAL® users.
 To ensure success all three phases of this SBIR, QUA created a 3-person team for the
February 2022 Innovation Corps Cohort, comprised of Peg Graham, QUA Owner and the PI/DP;
Industry Expert Teresa Boynton, a Safe Patient Handling & Mobility expert; and Technical Expert
Paul Carlson, an Industrial Designer. The team will conduct at least 100 Customer Discovery
interviews to gather market intelligence on toileting dependency and industry interest in a product
that reduces patient/staff risk for falls/musculoskeletal injury. The I-Corps team will have the benefit
of a Technical Business Assessment (TABA) report from Vikriti Management Consulting, a consult
with Entrepreneur in Residence John Sullivan, and the willingness of QUA’s Advisory Board to
assist with access to key influencers and decisionmakers across the healthcare spectrum.
 Specific aims of this I-Corp Project are to (1) assess clinical acceptance of the PPAL® by Safe
Patient Handling & Mobility programs in hospitals and nursing homes; (2) explore health system
leadership interest in the PPAL® as a toileting intervention for the acute care, homecare and skilled
nursing environments; and (3) validate proposed price points, selling cycle assumptions, and
volume estimates for solid financial projections for presentation to private investors.
 The PPAL® I-Corp team will produce a report to inform the Phase II Commercialization Plan.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10561251
- **Project number:** 3R43NR019516-01S1
- **Recipient organization:** QUA, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Margaret Ellen Graham
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $55,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-11 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10561251

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10561251, I- Corps Supplement to The PPAL: The Bedside Commode as a Safe Self-Toilet Transfer Device for Aging Adults  I-Corps Program, (3R43NR019516-01S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10561251. Licensed CC0.

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