Automatic patient bed comfort structure analysis based on the RULA method

Abstract

To improve patient care, reduce medical staff injuries, and increase the efficiency of the patient care process, automated patient beds are a very important innovation in the world of healthcare. However, there needs to be a study to find an ergonomic automatic bed design so that it is safe and comfortable when used by patients. This research concerns the study of the ergonomics of patient bed design using the Rapid Upper Limb Analysis (RULA) method. The patient bed that has been designed is then analyzed using RULA to obtain initial ergonomic data from a designed patient bed. There are 3 observations made, namely the patient’s condition when sitting, the patient’s condition when lying down, and the patient’s condition when the bed can be adjusted low. When in the sitting position, the average RULA result is obtained at 3, when lying down, the average RULA result is obtained at 3, and when the bed is set low, the average RULA result is obtained at 3. This ergonomic value is an accumulation of the assessment of the structure of the upper arms and forearms, lower body, muscles, neck, torso, legs, wrists, and arms.