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Transferring
a patient from the sitting position
to another is probably one of
the most common
problems in healthcare.
Too
often, the patients who need to be transferred can be
described as "hard to grasp burdens"
because of their handicap
or their age.
The
most common practice is to transfer the patient manually.
In that case, the caregiver will have to make the
patient stand up and rotate. If the caregiver does not
have any special training, family members at home for
example, this movement will put a lot of strain
on their back and can cause back problems. For
nurses in hospitals or nursing homes who know the proper
techniques, it will be the multiplication of transfers
that will cause back problems in the end.
When
manual transfer is too difficult, it is possible to use
special devices. |
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The
idea of the Transi came from the observation of
caregiver’s needs. It was necessary to find a safe, easy-to-use, and inexpensive
way of transferring patients. The first prototype of the
Transi came out of the workshop a few months later.
Since then the Transi has followed a series of
transformations to meet the market requirements. For
example, a support just underneath the knee is of great
help when lifting patients who have difficulty standing. This support makes a lever arm and eases
the movement. Moreover, in some cases, caregivers said
that they would prefer to have the
option of blocking
the ankles of their patients in spite of the anti-slip
mat. So it was decided to add adjustable bars
to the Transi.
The
Transi can be used at home to help the caregivers who
have not been trained to transfer patients, or in
institutions such as hospitals or nursing homes where
nurses have to transfer many patients several times a
day. |
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The
Transi is a rotation disk mounted on wheels with a
metallic structure that allows the patient to grasp onto
something rigid and provides a good grip to the caregiver.
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The
metallic structure of the Transi is made of steel covered
with a highly resistant epoxy painting. The standard color
available is blue.
The
two larger wheels are used to transport the unit from one
place to another without the patient.
The Transi is not intended to be a transport for the
transportation of the patient, for
transportation see our models Transi Mobil and Transi Pro.
The
base of the Transi is covered with an anti-slip mat.
A
foam protection covers the horizontal bar against which
the patient’s knees or legs can lean. |
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A
durability test was conducted by the CERAH ( Center of
Study and Research on Handicapped people’s equipment)
in France.
The
first test consisted of applying a charge of 80 daN on
the structure. After 200,000 charges, no anomaly was
detected.
The
second test consisted of placing a weight of 100kg (220
lbs) on
the Transi and rotate it at about 6 rpm. After 10,116
rounds in one direction and 10,334 in the other, no
anomaly was detected.
These
tests were conducted with a model which had 10 casters.
Please
note that only patients who are able to
stand on their feet
for a few seconds can use the Transi.
Most
of the time, however, they will not really
"stand up" on the Transi but lean on it.
Most
important is that they should be able to leave
their sitting position in order to be transferred. |
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The
normal use of the Transi can be split into 5 phases:
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Phase
1:
Bring the Transi next to the patient, or vice
versa, and check that no obstacle will
be
disturb
during transfer.
-
Phase
2:
Adjust the horizontal bars.
The upper one
should come just underneath the knees of the
patient, and the lower one should block the feet.
-
Phase
3:
Get the
patient onto the Transi.
The way to do that will depend greatly on the
patient. Some can do it by themselves while others
need help. Please refer to
the illustrations.
-
Phase
4: Rotate
the Transi with the patient on it.
If there is no balance problem, you can stand
in front of the patient. Otherwise, it is
recommended to stand behind the patient and grab
firmly the
handles of the Transi.
-
Phase
5:
Make the patient sit down.
As for the third phase, the way to do that
will depend on the degree of assistance required by
the patient.
The
illustrations give a good overview of the proper way to
use the Transi. However, it will always be necessary for
the caregiver to adapt to the patient’s needs. The
Transi should always be seen as a tool and not a magic
wand. |
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