Taiwan-developed automated repositioning mattress cuts nursing workload by 69%

台灣研發自動翻身床墊 減輕護理負擔69%

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Wellell Inc.’s automated repositioning mattress has entered clinical use at National Taiwan University Hospital after their joint study found that it could reduce nursing workloads by 69%, CTEE reported.

In intensive care units, many critically ill patients need help repositioning every two to three hours. The task can be difficult when they are connected to multiple tubes and life-support equipment, often requiring two or three staff members, NTUH Department of Nursing’s Hsiao Wei-ling (蕭偉伶) said.

Frequent repositioning helps prevent pressure injuries in patients but can also increase the risk of lower back, shoulder, and neck injuries among nursing staff. The system was developed based on the needs of frontline clinicians and underwent multiple rounds of design improvements before clinical testing.

The study involved 424 critically ill patients and found that the mattress reduced overall nursing workloads by 69%. It cut the time required for repositioning by 53%, while the proportion of procedures that could be completed by a single nurse increased from 36.7% to 91.8%.

The findings suggest that the technology can not only ease the physical burden on nursing staff but also help protect critically ill patients from pressure injuries. The rate of new pressure injuries fell from 4.7% among patients who received conventional manual repositioning to 2.9% among those using the automated system.

Wellell announced Wednesday that it had donated 20 automated repositioning mattresses to NTUH, marking their introduction into the hospital’s intensive care units. NTUH Superintendent Yu Chong-jen (余忠仁) said similar equipment is already available overseas, but such products are expensive and may not fully suit Taiwan’s clinical needs.

Wellell said the system can adjust its repositioning angle, inflation level, and speed according to each patient’s weight and condition. Each procedure takes five to 10 minutes, or up to 15 minutes at the slowest setting. The company said gradual movement helps prevent patients from shifting or tubes from becoming dislodged.