Project Description:

Populations suffering from limited mobility include individuals facing neck/back injuries, strokes, advanced age, obesity, mobility issues, and osteoarthritis. Without the ability to get out of bed and reposition, patients are prone to adverse health effects. These include physical effects such as pressure ulcers, blood clots, and stroke, as well as mental effects such as dysthymia. Over 2.5 million Americans suffer from bed sores every year. Furthermore, caregivers are also in need of an innovative device to ease the repositioning process.  Nurses are suffering injury at an alarming rate due to the heavy burden of turning patients, with 93% of nurses reporting instances of injury while repositioning patients. Team ReelCare aims to address the following problem: understaffed care facilities lack an efficient and safe solution for turning bedridden patients in order to prevent bed sores. Patient turning is a laborious process, involving 2 or more caregivers and on average taking at least 15 minutes. Moreover, patients must be turned every 2 hours. As a result, the current method provides an opportunity for innovation to enhance patient comfort while preventing nurse injuries and bed sores. Our team has engineered a groundbreaking assistive turning device. The device consists of a reel that seamlessly connects to any bed sheet. By using a bed sheet ReelCare is able to distribute the pressure on the patient’s skin over a larger surface area providing maximum comfort. This reel is motor controlled via a remote to allow the patient maximum dependence and eliminating the instance of nurse injuries. The reel spins pulling the sheet to create tension, turning the patient. ReelCare is a device that allows patients to receive the real care they deserve.