Transfer Pad with Moisture Control and Low-Friction Base
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bed-ridden patients require safe and efficient transfer within medical facilities, which is physically demanding and risky for caregivers due to the need for frequent linen changes and absorbent pad management, leading to musculoskeletal injuries and inefficiencies in understaffed hospitals.
Innovation Solution
A transfer pad with a fluid-permeable top sheet, a low-friction bottom sheet, and an absorbent core, integrated with handles for easy patient movement, capable of supporting patients over 400 lbs even when wet, designed to reduce friction and distribute force for safer handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If an absorbent pad is provided to wick away moisture and improve patient comfort, then patient comfort is improved, but the time and effort required for caregivers to remove and replace pads increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the transfer sheet and absorbent pad into a single integrated unit. The absorbent core is positioned between the top and bottom sheets, creating a unified product that simultaneously provides patient transfer capability and moisture absorption functionality, eliminating the need for separate pad changes during patient transfers
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer pad serves multiple functions: it acts as a transfer sheet for moving patients, an absorbent pad for moisture control, and a protective barrier for bed linens. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate products needed and minimizes caregiver intervention for product replacement
2Productivity
If a transfer sheet is used to move patients, then patient transfer efficiency is improved, but the force required to move heavy patients increases caregiver risk
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom sheet incorporates a low-friction coating on its distal end that contacts the bed surface, creating a localized reduction in friction force. This allows the majority of the patient's weight to be supported by the sheet structure while minimizing the force needed to initiate and maintain movement during patient transfer
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer pad uses composite construction with a fluid-permeable top sheet, absorbent core, and low-friction bottom sheet. This composite structure distributes mechanical loads across different material layers, enhancing overall strength and reducing the force required for patient movement while maintaining moisture management capabilities
3Object-affected harmful factors
If an absorbent pad is used to manage patient moisture, then patient comfort is improved, but the pad loses strength when soaked with body fluids
Solution Approach 1:
The absorbent core is contained within the boundaries of the top and bottom sheets, with the sheets extending beyond the absorbent core perimeter. This localized containment allows the absorbent materials to be saturated with body fluids while the outer sheet structure remains dry and maintains its structural strength for patient support and transfer
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction where the top and bottom sheets provide structural integrity while the absorbent core manages fluids. The sheets are made from materials that maintain strength when wet, and the absorbent core is confined within sealed boundaries, creating a system where fluid absorption does not compromise overall structural strength
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The transfer pad enables safe and efficient movement of heavy patients by reducing the force required for caregivers, minimizing musculoskeletal injuries and maintaining strength when soaked with body fluids, thus enhancing patient comfort and caregiver efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
an absorbent core contained within the top and bottom sheet... a fluid absorbent sheet formed of a cellulosic pulp and a super-absorbent polymer (SAP)
Implementation Method 2
The absorbent core is disposed within the first perimeter and includes in sequence a first tissue sheet, a fluid absorbent sheet formed of a cellulosic pulp and a super-absorbent polymer (SAP)
Implementation Method 3
The bottom sheet has a bottom surface formed of a material having a coefficient of friction adapted to slide on the bed linens with the patient on the transfer pad
Data Source
AI summary
A transfer pad is provided for use in transferring a person reclining on a bed with bed linens that includes a top sheet formed from a fluid permeable material, a bottom sheet and an absorbent core contained within the top and bottom sheet. The bottom sheet has a bottom surface formed of a material having a coefficient of friction adapted to slide on the bed linens with the patient on the transfer pad. The top and bottom sheets are connected at a fluid leak-proof seam around a perimeter of the top and bottom sheets. The absorbent core is disposed within the perimeter and includes in sequence a first tissue sheet, a fluid absorbent sheet formed of a cellulosic pulp and a super-absorbent polymer (SAP) and a second tissue sheet. The absorbent pad includes handles along each side that can be grasped by a caregiver to slide the transfer pad, with a patient thereon, across the bed linens.