Development of a cable-driven Growing Sling to assist patient transfer

As the aging of society continues to accelerate, the number of elderly patients is increasing, as is the demand for manpower to care for them. In particular, there is an urgent need for bedridden patient care. However, limitations in the supply of human resources have caused an increase in the burden for care. In particular, nursing personnel often experience inconvenience and difficulties owing to the great deal of effort required to transfer a patient from bed to wheelchair, or vice versa. The most difficult process during the patient transfer is inserting the sling under the patient. Aiming to solve this problem, a mechanical Growing Sling was devised. The proposed sling adapts a growing mechanism comprising a low-friction fabric and steel shafts, and the sling is inserted under the patient by towing the steel shafts with cables connected to a motor. For the comfort and safety of the sling insertion, the required towing force was analyzed to find the minimum diameter of the shaft. The results from experimental evaluations using the proposed sling verified that it can be inserted under the patient without moving the patient, and with an acceptable level of pressure being applied to the patient.