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Development of a working prototype sling for use with floor and ceiling lifts to be used by the veterinary sector
April 2005
| Principal Investigator: |
Nancy Paris (British Columbia Institute of Technology) |
For more information about this development grant project, please contact Nancy Paris.
Issue
Staff in veterinary clinics often lift, transfer and reposition dogs and other animals in the 25 to 50 kilogram range. Although veterinary workers have a high incidence of musculoskeletal injury, most veterinary clinics do not use lift devices for these tasks, due to the high cost of most lift devices and the lack of well designed animal slings to use with lifts.
The purpose of this project was to design a working prototype of an animal sling to be used with lifts, that could be manufactured and sold for a reasonable price.
Key findings
- A sling was designed and tested in veterinary clinics, and was reviewed favourably by veterinary staff during field testing.
Objectives
- To develop a working prototype sling for use in veterinary clinics that:
- Could be used in lifting, transferring and repositioning four-legged animals in the 25 to 50 kilogram range.
- Could be manufactured and sold for a reasonable price.
- Would be compatible with a low cost BCIT-designed lift device and other commercially available lift devices.
Method
Information on the optimal sling design for lifting 25 to 50 kilogram dogs was gathered through site visits at veterinary clinics and surveys of veterinary clinic staff. Three different sling designs were developed and presented to focus groups of staff from four participating veterinary clinics. The researchers used focus group input on favourite design and features to revise the sling design.
The alpha prototype based on the refined design was tested for safety, then installed in three veterinary clinics for one month per clinic.
Input from these trials was used to develop a beta prototype, which was submitted for independent design review, based on the following criteria:
- Ease of use
- Adjustability
- Ability to be used with sleeping dog, to reposition dog, and regardless of dog's position
- Machine washable/cleanable/sterilizable
- Doesn't interfere with IV/catheter/leads
- Can be used for dogs over 20 kilograms
- Dogs feel secure in the sling
Results
Veterinary clinic staff feedback on the alpha prototype was generally positive. Two key areas were identified for improvement and resulting changes were incorporated into the beta prototype.
The design review of the beta prototype indicated that the design criteria were met to a satisfactory degree.
Conclusions
The researchers concluded that the sling design has the potential to help prevent musculoskeletal injuries in the veterinary industry, if it can be successfully brought to market and made available for purchase by veterinary clinics.
Future directions
The BCIT Technology Commercialization Office is assessing the feasibility of developing a commercialization plan for the sling. This would involve refinement of the prototype to bring it to the “market ready” stage.
Publications and presentations
Poster Presentation: Development of a Working Prototype Sling for use with Floor and Ceiling Lifts for use by the Veterinary Sector at: TechMed Saskatoon, January 18, 2006