Design and Development of Mobile Patient Transfer Lift

Providing medical care for patients frequently requires their transfer for the purpose of transportation and/or personal hygiene. These transfers require the caregiver to move the patient between the patient's bed, wheelchair, bathroom chair, and bathroom commode. In an event of patient transfer, th

Project Title

Design and Development of Mobile Patient Transfer Lift

Project Area of Specialization

Biomedical Engineering

Project Summary

Providing medical care for patients frequently requires their transfer for the purpose of transportation and/or personal hygiene. These transfers require the caregiver to move the patient between the patient's bed, wheelchair, bathroom chair, and bathroom commode. In an event of patient transfer, the patient’s weight and the caregiver’s own bent posture lead to exaggerated loads on the caregiver’s spinal column, thereby greatly increasing the risk for spinal injuries. Moreover, this increases the risk of secondary injuries to the patient in case of mishandling. The estimate of people living with disability in Pakistan is over 20 million according to a report by the British Council Pakistan’s Research, Evaluation, Monitoring Unit in 2014. The official state census held in 1988 reported that 2.5% of the total population has some form of disability. Despite the lack of the latest figures on persons with disability in Pakistan, it can be clearly assumed that the number of disabled persons dependent on caregivers is in the millions. The caregiver’s health is prioritized because they are not only required to assist the disabled person but are also required to work and earn for the family.

Considering this background, our project is aimed at developing a mobile patient transfer lift that can be used by a caregiver for the safe transfer of patients. With the mobile patient transfer lift, the patient will be securely hung using a soft padded sling. The lift will bear the load of the patient while the caregiver can manually operate the lift. Once the patient is brought to the desired destination, s/he can be released in a safe manner and the lift can be removed. The use of this assistive patient lift can therefore reduce the risk of injuries for both the patient and the caregiver.

Project Objectives

The objectives of the project are as follows:

• To design and develop an assistive device that allows safe patient transfers.
• To reduce the risk of manual lifting which causes, the nursing staff or a caregiver, spinal or orthopedic injury.
• To reduce the number of caregivers when transferring a patient.

Project Implementation Method

The biomechanics and ergonomics pertaining to the design of the prototype will be explored. The prototype will be initially designed using computer-aided design software. Stress analysis will be performed based on realistic measures and any design modifications will be incorporated. Then local manufacturing and assembly of the hardware prototype will be carried out. Once the prototype is ready, testing will be perfromed using various loads and simulated scenarios.

Benefits of the Project

The mobile patient transfer lift is an innovative medical assistive device that is built on a peculiar design and innovative capabilities. The lift can be used to transport the paralyzed, frail, obese, dependent, or incapacitated people from one location to another with minimal burden on the caregiver. This enables patients to transfer between a variety of surfaces, including beds, wheelchairs, commodes, bathtubs, and other areas in the home. The most significant advantage of this device is that, unlike other machines, it does not require installation. Patients can be lifted vertically and transported between rooms at a nursing home facility using the mobile lift. Furthermore, the lift's design includes adjustable slings that serve to counterbalance the patient's weight while also adjusting them to avoid failure or fall.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The final deliverable of this project will be a hardware prototype of the mobile patient transfer lift. The main components of this lift will include the hydraulic actuator, the patient sling, the sling hanger, and the ergonomic frame structure.

Final Deliverable of the Project

Hardware System

Core Industry

Medical

Other Industries

Transportation , Health

Core Technology

Others

Other Technologies

Robotics

Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Well-Being for People, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Reduced Inequality

Required Resources

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