Future Medical Textiles for Health Care Facilities

Gunn was appointed September 2019-September 2020 Jiangsu University Jinshan Distinguished Professor, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, P.R. China. During this period she collaborated with researchers from Monash University in Australia from
Emerging Technologies Research Lab and Design Health Collab, Monash University, Australia and Monash University Prato Centre in Italy. The international multidisciplinary research project gave focus to the future design of medical textiles. Key questions: How can mindsets be shifted in order that medical textile designers and manufacturers could move towards more sustainable medical textile futures? Initial fieldwork was carried out by Gunn at the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University in China during November 2019. Fieldwork was cut short due to Covid-19 regulations.

We proposed future changes in medical textiles involving emerging technologies may mean changing skilled practitioners (including medical professionals, design engineers and manufacturers) working practices and that would impact on skills, competences and knowledges. Here we proposed sustainable transitions in future practices of use. This would require the teaching of skills, competences and knowledge associated with collaborative design and interdisciplinary working.