Challenges and opportunities in designing innovative emergency-evacuation equipment for bed-dependent hospital patients: a scoping review with a focus on evacuation mattresses and stretchers.

Abstract

Background and aim: Bed-dependent patients are highly vulnerable during emergencies because of restricted mobility, and their rapid evacuation presents a significant challenge for hospitals. This study aimed to identify innovative strategies and the key challenges involved in designing and manufacturing emergency evacuation devices for bed-dependent patients, with a focus on evacuation mattresses and stretchers.

Methods: This study was conducted on the basis of the five-stage framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley and in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines for scoping reviews. Initially, the research question was clearly defined. A comprehensive literature search was subsequently performed without time restrictions, considering the limited number of product-oriented studies. The search utilized the keywords bed-bound patients, emergency evacuation, hospital, design, manufacture, and evacuation mattress across multiple databases, including Scopus, ProQuest, PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect, as well as the search engines Google Scholar and Google Patents. National databases such as SID and MagIran were also included. Both English and Persian keywords were finalized. Out of a total of 654 retrieved studies, after removing duplicates and irrelevant records, 28 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed.

Results: The findings indicated that design requirements for hospital evacuation equipment can be classified into seven principal categories and 18 subcategories: technical-functional requirements, clinical requirements, environmental requirements, legal and standard requirements, operational barriers, design-related barriers, and technological complexity and innovation.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that designing hospital evacuation equipment, with a focus on mattresses and stretchers, constitutes a multidimensional and complex challenge that necessitates an integrated and innovative approach. Prototypes should be refined through analyzing and adapting, incorporating locally available materials and ergonomic principles. Prioritizing user-centered and context-adaptive innovations enhances health system capacity and ensures safer, more efficient transfer of bed-dependent patients in emergencies.

Clinical trial number: Not applicable.