Sheet Receiver Housing for Safer Patient Repositioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
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 migration of patients towards the foot end of the bed when the head end is raised, 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 housing with a drive mechanism that allows the sheet to be pulled towards the head end without the need to articulate the bed, facilitating easy access for infection control and multiple repositioning operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual lifting and pulling is used to reposition patients, then repositioning can be performed, but caregiver injury risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical lifting and pulling with an automated mechanical system consisting of a winch, drum, and sheet arrangement. The winch winds the sheet to pull the patient toward the head end, eliminating the need for caregivers to manually lift and pull patients, thereby preventing caregiver injury while maintaining repositioning functionality.
2Reliability
If prior repositioning devices are used, then patient migration is addressed, but ease of access for maintenance and infection control deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the bed structure into separable components: the mattress can be removed independently from the bed frame, and the sheet can be accessed by pulling it through the headboard opening. This segmentation allows caregivers to access and clean the mattress and sheet without disassembling the entire bed or removing patients, improving ease of maintenance and infection control while maintaining repositioning reliability.
3Ease of repair
If bed articulation is required to access sheet receiver components, then components can be accessed, but operation time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the sheet receiver components and winch mechanism in locations that are preliminarily prepared for easy access - the winch is mounted on the bed frame where it can be accessed by simply removing the mattress, and the sheet is arranged to be pullable through the headboard opening. This preliminary positioning eliminates the need for time-consuming bed articulation or complex disassembly procedures, allowing quick access for maintenance and sheet changes.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet receiver for a patient repositioning system includes a housing adapted to be supported at a first end of a bed deck and a pulling device located primarily within an internal compartment of the housing. The housing has an access door adapted to open and to close so as to provide access to the internal compartment via an opening, and the housing also has an elongated slot extending along a first end thereof, and spaced from the opening. A connector has an innermost end secured to the pulling device within the internal compartment and an outermost end removably attachable to a sheet located on a mattress supported on the bed deck. The connector spans substantially the length of the slot and may include at least one window near the innermost end, to facilitate cleaning of the internal compartment. The housing includes impeding structure which prevents the inadvertent insertion of the connector and/or the sheet into the internal compartment via the opening.