The portable patient lift system is a Senior Capstone Design project that is defined through the collaboration between the University of Cincinnati and a retirement/assisted living community in Cincinnati. The objective of the project is to design, build, and test a lift system that is capable of safely lifting fallen elderly patients at assistant living homes out of tight spaces. Two student teams in 2015–2016 and 2016–2017 academic years had taken on this project. They applied the product development process which they learned from their senior year to develop a workable system. Their work started with survey, interviews, research, followed by developing alternative concept designs. The pros and cons of each concept were discussed, analyzed, and evaluated among peers, advisors, and Maple Knoll nurses. The final design of using inflatable method to lift patients was justified as the best option. Two final concept designs from each year were then manufactured or assembled in school. The testing of the final systems were conducted and demonstrated at Maple Knoll senior community. The expectations from nursing staff and senior residents were greatly satisfied.
This paper will describe our senior capstone design and product development process of such portable patient lift system, and discuss our experiential learning experience at Maple Knoll and lessons learned from design and making such system with focus on the consideration of seniors and their capabilities at settings of nursing homes.
