Journal of Associated Medical Sciences (Dec 2018)
A prototype of automatic mattress turning device for pressure ulcer prevention
Abstract
Background: Pressure ulcer is a major health care problem in bed ridden patients. One of preventive measures is repositioning every 2 hours which is a burden workload on a caregiver. Objectives: The study aimed to develop and test a laboratory prototype of the automatic mattress turning device (AMTD) whether it could turn one side of the mattress and reposition a patient in a hospital bed as suggesed by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP). Materials and methods: A laboratory prototype of AMTD consisted of a set of air bellows and controller. Air bellows were placed under a mattress. An air pump and solenoid valve are controlled by a microcontroller to inflate and deflate the air bellows for turning the mattress, thus reposition from supine to a 30° side-lying or lateral turn position as recommended by NPUAP. Duration for each position can be adjusted from 0 - 120 minutes. A 3-day test was conducted with different duration of turn with bed head tilted at 0° and 30°. Results: The test revealed that AMTD can provide accurate turning positions and durations of each position. In addition, it worked efficiently when head of bed was lifted up at 30°. Conclusion: AMTD could turn a hospital mattress and assist with patient repositioning. Further development for commercial use would lead to a new device for pressure ulcer prevention.
