Patient Repositioning Sheet Drive for Safe Bed Pulling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing patient repositioning systems in healthcare settings are inadequate, as they often require manual labor, which can lead to caregiver injury and do not effectively address the issue of patient migration towards the foot end of the bed, with no commercially viable solution providing a safe, efficient, and user-friendly method for repositioning patients.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a mattress with a movable head end piece, a sheet with beaded edges retained by spaced retainers, and a sheet receiver with a drive mechanism that allows the sheet to be pulled towards the head end of the bed without articulating the bed, facilitating easy access for cleaning and infection control, and featuring a housing that secures within the bed's volume without interfering with the bed deck.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual pulling method is used to reposition patient, then repositioning can be achieved, but caregiver injury risk increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical pulling system with an automated mechanical system. A motorized winch mechanism with drum and winding sheet systematically winds the sheet around the patient's body and pulls them toward the head end of the bed, eliminating the need for caregivers to manually lift and pull patients, thereby preventing caregiver injury while maintaining reliable patient repositioning
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a sheet as an intermediary element between the caregiver and the patient. The sheet acts as a mediator that transfers the pulling force from the motorized winch to the patient, allowing repositioning without direct physical contact or manual lifting by caregivers, thus improving safety while maintaining operational effectiveness
2Extent of automation
If housing contains drive mechanism components, then automation is achieved, but access for cleaning and maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the housing into multiple accessible sections with removable panels. The housing containing the motorized winch and drive mechanism is divided into modular sections that can be independently accessed, allowing caregivers to clean and maintain components without disassembling the entire system, thus maintaining automation while improving serviceability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts key components such as the drum and winding sheet from the housing for separate cleaning and maintenance. These components can be removed from the housing for thorough cleaning and inspection, then reinstalled, allowing maintenance of the automated system without requiring complete disassembly or complex access procedures
3Ease of repair
If bed is articulated to access components, then maintenance access is improved, but patient comfort is disrupted and procedure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the drive mechanism components from within the bed structure and places them in an externally accessible housing. This allows maintenance personnel to access and service components by simply opening the housing panels without needing to articulate or reposition any part of the bed, thereby simplifying the maintenance procedure while maintaining component accessibility
4Productivity
If sheet is pulled repeatedly, then multiple repositioning operations are enabled, but sheet may become entangled or misaligned
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-attaching the sheet to the drum in a specific configuration before patient placement. The sheet is wound around the drum with proper tension and alignment, and the patient is then positioned on the sheet. This preliminary preparation ensures that subsequent pulling operations maintain sheet alignment and prevent entanglement, enabling multiple reliable repositioning operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuity of useful action by ensuring the sheet remains taut and properly aligned throughout multiple pulling operations. The motorized winch systematically winds the sheet in a controlled manner, preventing slack and entanglement, allowing the same sheet to be used for multiple patient repositioning operations without loss of effectiveness or alignment
Data Source
AI summary
A patient repositioning system for pulling a patient toward a head end of a bed includes a sheet, a mattress, and a housing which contains at least a part of a drive mechanism for operatively coupling to and pulling the sheet. The housing resides below a head end piece of the mattress, and is secured to the bed deck. The sheet pulling structure extends out of the housing via a slot and releasably attaches to the sheet, in a manner which has a low profile so as to pass through the slot. The sheet is longer than and wider than the mattress, and has beaded longitudinal side edges which are retained within rows of spaced retainers located on opposite sides of the mattress. During pulling of the sheet, the contoured shape of the housing facilitates movement of the sheet into the housing via the slot, even though the sheet width extends beyond the lateral edges of the mattress. The sheet may include indicia for indicating a “loaded” condition, and also usage indicia to indicate that it is time for a new sheet to be used.