Finite Element Analysis to Enhance the Design of Patient Lifting Equipment for Clinical Applications: A Computational Experimental Study

Background of the study: Patient lifting equipment (PLE) mitigates the musculoskeletal risks while ensuring safe patient handling. Various designs of PLE are proposed that can be comprehensively analyzed with the advanced Finite Element Method simulations. Methodology: We designed the CAD models of various PLE designs and analyzed them under a load of 5400 N with a factor of safety of 04. Static structural analysis is conducted using ANSYS software. The deformation and stress distribution simulation results are obtained with the structural steel (E = 200 GPa) PLE model analyzed at two different positions. Results: The end-bended boom design exhibited the minor deformation and stress of 0.0379 m and 4.98×108 Pa, respectively. Therefore, it was used in the complete PLE analysis. The complete PLE analysis showed that maximum deformation for both truss and beam elements is 0.12456 m at the highest position, and 0.11768 m at the lowest position. Stress distribution varied from -2.729e7 Pa to 1.771e7 Pa at the highest and -2.737e7 Pa to 1.941e7 Pa at the lowest position with either element type. Conclusion: This study offers insights into optimizing the PLE design based on simulation results. It guides the local industry's development of PLE, which lowers the risk of damage for caregivers and patients.