Enhancing perioperative transfer of special needs children with the I-MOVE

Abstract

Special needs children with neurodevelopment disorders such as autism are often uncooperative and disruptive during routine hospitalization processes such as initiation of anesthesia and transfer to operating table. These patients are often manually restrained and lifted onto the operating table by healthcare staff after they are anaesthetized, placing these children at risk of fall injuries and hospital staff at risk of back injuries and physical injuries inflicted by these patients. In this paper, we described a prototype robotics system with sensing and actuation systems for safe perioperative transport, transfer and procedures for uncooperative combative children to maximize safety for patients and healthcare workers and to enhance operating theatre efficiency and throughput.