Latticed Patient Hoisting Device for Hospital Bed Maneuvering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maneuvering patients in hospital beds, especially those who are paralyzed, immobile, or obese, is challenging for caregivers due to the difficulty in accessing all areas of the patient's body for treatment, leading to inefficient use of resources and potential harm to wounds or medical devices from existing patient-maneuvering devices.
Innovation Solution
A latticed patient-hoisting device with strategically positioned vertical and horizontal straps that form a lattice structure, allowing for safe and secure lifting, turning, and positioning of patients without applying pressure on sensitive areas, using removable connectors and adjustable straps to attach to bed rails, enabling extensive access for care while minimizing exertion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a sheet with side sleeves and detachable lateral straps is used to maneuver the patient, then the patient can be lifted and positioned, but the sheet contacts sensitive areas of the patient's body causing pain, further injury, or dislodgement of medical devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patient support system is divided into multiple separate straps (vertical and horizontal) that can be independently positioned and adjusted. This segmentation allows the straps to be strategically engaged to avoid sensitive areas while maintaining patient support and maneuvering capability, eliminating the harmful pressure from continuous sheet contact.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the patient's body are treated differently by the strap configuration. The vertical straps provide lateral support while horizontal straps provide posterior support, creating localized support zones that avoid sensitive areas. The straps can be selectively positioned to provide support where needed while leaving sensitive areas uncovered and accessible.
2Ease of operation
If multiple hospital staff members physically lift and turn the patient, then the patient can be accessed for care, but hospital resources are wasted and personnel are over-worked
Solution Approach 1:
The patient hoisting device enables the patient to assist in their own repositioning through the strap system. The patient can pull themselves along the vertical straps or adjust their position using the horizontal straps, reducing or eliminating the need for multiple staff members to physically lift and turn the patient, thereby improving resource efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The strap system acts as an intermediary mechanical advantage system that reduces the effort required for patient repositioning. Instead of requiring multiple staff members to manually lift and turn the patient, the straps provide mechanical support that allows single-staff operation or patient self-assistance, improving productivity.
3Reliability
If a continuous sheet is used to cover the patient during maneuvering, then the patient is protected, but access to areas with wounds, surgical incisions, burns, or medical devices is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous sheet is replaced with discrete, separable straps that can be individually positioned. This allows the support system to provide protection and stability where needed while leaving specific areas exposed for medical access. The vertical and horizontal straps can be configured to avoid contacting wounds, surgical incisions, burns, or medical devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The strap system provides dynamic adaptability, allowing the configuration to be changed during patient care. Straps can be adjusted, removed, or repositioned to provide access to specific areas when needed, while maintaining protection and support in other areas. This dynamic reconfigurability enables both protection and access requirements to be met simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A latticed patient-hoisting device for a hospital bed and methods of its use for lifting, moving, turning and positioning of hospital patients. Embodiments of the device have a plurality of vertical and parallel straps running parallel to the patient's body from head to feet and a plurality of horizontal straps perpendicular to the vertical straps. The ends of the horizontal straps are removably attached to one or more rails of a hospital bed by a loop. The device is placed under a patient, and the patient is moved by drawing one or more ends of one side of the horizontal straps and attaching those ends to one or more rails on the same side of the bed. In embodiments, one or more horizontal straps may be detached from a rail or repositioned along it to provide access to a particular area of the patient's body for patient care.