John D. Lloyd, PhD, CPE
Board Certified Ergonomist
32824 Michigan Avenue
San Antonio, Florida 33576
Tel: 813-624-8986
Email: DrJohnLloyd@Tampabay.RR.com
Friction Reducing Devices for Lateral Transfer of Patients: A Clinical Evaluation
Purpose: To assess the performance of lateral transfer devices in acute care settings using subjective feedback of caregivers with comparison to the traditional draw-sheet method in real-time usage.
Methodology: Eight acute care units received one of eight randomly selected devices, once every two weeks. Data was collected through caregiver surveys, with ratings on comfort, ease of use, perceived injury risk, time efficiency and patient safety. An overall performance rating was calculated as the sum of the five sub scores.
Results: Caregivers rated ‘Air-assisted devices’ significantly better (p<0.05) than other devices. MaxiTrans was rated inferior to other assistive devices, due to push forces.
Conclusions: Use of assistive lateral transfer devices is recommended over the traditional draw sheet for performing lateral patient transfers.
Practical Applications/Implications: These low-cost friction reducing devices are a cost-effective solution for lateral patient transfers and should be favorably considered when purchasing patient handling technologies.
Please contact Dr. Lloyd for additional information