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Medical Futures Innovation Awards 2001: Female Freedom Funnel, AstraZeneca Prize for Best Medical Innovation
24.05.01
Inventor: Dr Vincent Forte, aged 39
Occupation: Freelance GP, medical writer and forensic physician based in Suffolk
Award presented by: Nicola Horlick
Messy medical urine sampling is set to become history for women everywhere. Dr Vincent Forte's Female Funnel directs urine cleanly into a standard medical sample bottle ending mess and reducing contamination. A combination of special features makes it easy to positively position without direct vision, making it suitable for all age groups and body sizes. Made of biodegradable materials, it can be flushed away after use with no harm to the environment. Conventional urine sample bottles are less than an inch wide. This usually means a messy affair for women when asked for a sample.
"I have lost count of the number of women who have complained about the difficulty in providing a standard urine specimen," says Dr Forte.
In UK General Practice alone, it is estimated that women produce fifty million urine samples each year, exemplifying the size of the market for this product. Dr Forte feels that the Funnel will become so popular that the demand will be consumer-led and he is keen to meet a potential industry partner to take the Funnel into production.
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