Kyung Hye Park of Bitgoeul Jeonnam National University Hospital Patents "Povidone Iodine Cotton Swab That Does Not Get on Hands"

Design Structure Reduces Infection Risk
Solves Inconvenience When Passing Between Medical Staff

Kyung Hye Park Nurse at Bitgoeul Jeonnam National University Hospital.

Bitgoeul Jeonnam National University Hospital announced on July 3 that Kyung Hye Park, a nurse from the outpatient nursing team, registered a design patent on May 12 for an invention titled "Povidone iodine cotton swab that does not get on your hands." This invention improves upon the shortcomings of conventional disposable disinfectant (povidone) cotton swabs, significantly enhancing hygiene and ease of use.

In a typical wound disinfection process, both the disinfectant and cotton swabs must be prepared separately, and the disinfectant is often discarded after opening due to hygiene concerns. Recently, disposable cotton swabs pre-soaked with disinfectant have been used, but there have been issues of the solution getting on hands or contaminating the surroundings when opened.

Drawing from these practical inconveniences, Nurse Park devised a packaging structure that separates the solution compartment and handle, as well as an easy-cut line for convenient opening, to prevent the disinfectant from getting on hands when opening the pre-soaked disposable swab. This reduces the risk of infection and eliminates the hassle of passing swabs between medical staff.

This patent was made possible not only by Nurse Park's idea but also with the help of the "Mobile Intellectual Property Consulting Support" program, part of the "Biohealth Clinical Field-Linked Technology Commercialization Platform Support Project" (project manager: Huh Hwan, Head of Technology Industrialization) conducted by Jeonnam National University Hospital's Biomedical Research Institute. This program provides one-on-one customized consulting and patent attorney counseling, supporting the process from abstract ideas to concrete invention planning to strengthen healthcare R&D capabilities. Through this process, Nurse Park received expert advice and practical support, making it easier to file and register the patent.

Moreover, Nurse Park is not just an idea proposer but a nurse who continuously pursues research. From 2016 to 2024, she published a total of eight research papers, including six in SCI(E)-level international journals and two in KCI-registered journals, steadily building her expertise and research capabilities.

Ki Seungjeong, Director of the Biomedical Research Institute at Jeonnam National University Hospital, stated, "This is an exemplary case of creatively addressing unmet needs in the medical field," and added, "We will continue to foster an environment that encourages job-related inventions to produce tangible results that improve medical practice."

Nurse Park said, "During surgeries or procedures, it was inconvenient and risky when the disinfectant got on the handle of the swab while passing it between medical staff, so I was always cautious. Although it was a small inconvenience, its repetition made me want to improve it. Without the hospital and research support system, patent registration would not have been easy," she added.