Flipod

Collaborators

This project was done in collaboration with ECON Healthcare and the Institute of Mental Health.

Overview

An assistive bed rotation device for non-ambulant patients.

Background

It is estimated that approximately 1.2 million people suffer from pressure ulcers or bedsores at any one time in the United States alone and almost 70% of sufferers are over the age of 65. It is reported that there are 60,000 deaths annually from complications arising from bedsores and the current cost to the US Health Care System to treat these and other associated conditions is estimated to be at US$15 - $40 billion annually.

In hospitals, nurses have to turn critically ill patients routinely for every 2 hours as part of the standard care to prevent pneumonia and pressure ulcers. Several studies have shown that continuous lateral rotation therapy (CLRT) prevent and treat respiratory complications effectively. CLRT can be achieved mechanically by specialized turning beds that rotate patients in a symmetrical fashion. However, some disadvantages have been recorded including bulkiness, high cost, limited to symmetrical body rotations (which is not suitable for muscular atrophy) and crude movements (i.e. not gentle). To overcome these factors, patients are forced to undergo pre-treatment trainings to cope with the fear of adopting the current method of rotational therapy.

Key Problem(s)

Non-ambulant patients suffer from pressure ulcers due to prolonged contact with bedding. Continuous Lateral Rotation Therapy (CLRT) can be employed to manage these ulcers. However, CLRT is highly laborious and strenuous for the caretakers.

Objective

Flipod aims to help reduce the occurrence of pressure ulcers in non-ambulant patients through the use of a simple and low-cost pneumatic device to automatically perform CLRT at specific intervals. By automating this procedure, the workload of caretakers can also be reduced.

Solution

By using a simple setup consisting of modular air bladders and a central pump unit, Flipod performs CLRT automatically for the non-ambulant patients at prescribed interval, thus reducing the workload of the caretakers. Flipod is low-cost and easy to use, performing a procedure only achievable by complex bed systems that are bulky and expensive.

Deployment and Usage

Flipod was showcased at the following locations:

• 22nd MOH Joint Singapore Malaysia Nursing Conference
• World Economic Forum 2015
• Stanford Centre on Longevity Design Challenge 2015

Impact

Through Flipod, accessibility to CLRT has been improved.

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Project Contact

Team Members