Redesign process of a semi-powered patient transfer device

Abstract

Intra-facility patient transfer poses substantial risks of patient falls and care-giver’s musculoskeletal injuries. Several patient lifters and aid devices have been introduced but they have not been widely used due to their bulky size and slow operation. A prototype of new patient transfer aid device has been developed to help care-givers transfer patients safely and more efficiently than conventional manual transferring or the use of powered patient lifters. This study was aimed to explain how the new patient transfer aid device has been developed, evaluated and redesigned to improve its safety, functionality and usability. Both laboratory experiment using a quantitative assessment method and field user research by interview and shadowing have been conducted to evaluate ergonomic advantages and to identify usability issues when transferring patients using the new aid device. Then, the initial prototype has been redesigned to address the issues and improve overall usability.