About Project Pivot

Patient transfers via wheelchairs in hospitals are crucial for system operation and the patient experience. Timely transfers are necessary to minimise delays and resource waste. Wheelchair transfers are typically short commutes to appointments, such as procedures and tests. They must adhere to hospital standards such as OHS, hygiene, efficiency, and safety. Modern wheelchairs are mainly focused on the task of moving patients.

 

General adult hospitals serve a diverse patient base with varied medical conditions and communication abilities. Consisting of nurses and orderlies, transfer staff possess different skill levels and experiences. Transfers intensify patient anxiety due to the hospital ambiance and procedure anticipation. Often, due to specific medical conditions or to alleviate discomfort, patients may try to stand up or exit the chair when in motion. While guiding from behind, staff cannot fully monitor or rapidly respond to patients. Such positioning limits users to verbal communication, adversely impacting patients, particularly those with hearing impairment and non-native speakers. Addressing these challenges while meeting transfer requirements adds significant stress and workload to staff.

 

Current wheelchairs do not address these issues and hinder the interaction between users. Throughout the hospital system, compassionate engagement and monitoring of patients is an essential component of delivering high-quality care. Transfers are a crucial moment when patients and staff would greatly benefit from such interaction.

 

The design proposition reimagines the HW as the bi-directional wheelchair - Pivot. Pivot can conduct attendant-facing and traditional transfers to facilitate VC and NVC. NVC enables patients and staff of diverse backgrounds with varying communication abilities to connect and engage. Safety hazards and efficiency concerns are addressed by minimising emotional discomfort and maximising the user experience. Pivot is designed to complement the work of the nurse and hospital system, whilst remaining user-centered. 

 

Embodied by a human-centered design approach and principles from inclusive design and human factors engineering, the project argues the importance of balancing form and function. The outcome responds to users' and system's considerations. Each design and engineering decision is validated by industry experts and stakeholders.

 

While existing designs incrementally improve upon wheelchair designs, they fail to acknowledge the crux of the problem – a lack of patient-staff engagement. This project intends to disrupt the design of modern wheelchairs by positioning the users at the centre of the proposal.