Medical Beds and Imaging Design

This  case study will highlight human factors criteria  associated the design of a CAT scan bed developed by our design team. A photograph of the final design is shown here.
Our initial ergonomic studies included evaluations of various CAT scan bed designs based on their interaction with the technician as well as the patient.
Critical observations of volunteers laying on the bed uncovered numerous human factors considerations which are summarized below:
The bed required features for attaching arm restraints as shown here.
Head and neck supports were also required.
Adequate clearance around the neck support was necessary to permit arms to be positioned as shown.

Inspection of the current CAT scan bed and its accessories helped our design team identify many design improvements such as:
Improvements in retaining cloth sheets on the bed surface
Improvements for patient restraints to eliminate Velcro which could eventually breed bacteria.
Reduce bulk in the bed to improve patient positioning in the CAT scanner
Eliminate potential pinch points between the movable bed and base which continually entangled  fabrics in the seams.

1. On site hospital visits enabled our staff to videotape and photograph patients undergoing CAT scans.
2. These photographs reveal many typical problems associated with patient transfer from a gurney to the CAT scan bed.

A summary of difficulties includes
Close positioning of the gurney to the bed.
Entanglement of sheets during patient transfer
Slippery surface of the bed
Safe restraint of the patient on the bed

These photographs of a foamcore model illustrate  the proposed new design.
Numerous iterations of the design were developed with models like this as well as CAD layouts before a final version was accepted.
These photos reveal the new handle and its integration within the overall design.
This handle provided protection to the bed, easy grip for the technician and also permitted the gantry to park adjacent to the bed within a  minimum distance.

1. The final production design of the CAT scan bed was evaluated using a fully sized dummy.
2. Mechanical performance and ergonomic criteria were critiqued based on accepted specifications.

1. The final design solution satisfied all the ergonomic specifications derived from the  human factors studies conducted during this project.
2. In addition, the new design was aesthetically and mechanically outstanding.