A multidisciplinary methodology for the evaluation of products that assist with bed mobility

This article presents a multidisciplinary approach to evaluatingproducts that assist with bed mobility. Following multidisciplinary risk assessmentson 10 mattress elevators, 24 participants tested four different productsfor periods of up to 1 week. The participants, recruited by health professionals,were asked to test four different mattress elevators and, if possible, test eachallocated product for a week at a time in their own home. The Barthel Activitiesof Daily Living Index, a sitting balance assessment using a subscale of themotor assessment scale, and the Waterlow score were used to aid comparisonof the products and their performance in practice. All products assisted withbed mobility, particularly lying-to-sitting and giving support in sitting. Technicaland manual handling risk assessments were undertaken by a panel ofexperts in a laboratory on the products using a predetermined checklist.Guidelines for choosing these products were compiled from the results ofboth the risk assessments and the user evaluations