Abstract

Emergency medical technicians’ (EMTs) mission is to transport patients safely while stabilizing their medical condition.
Excessive efforts made while lifting or transporting people expose EMTs to musculoskeletal disorders and serious injuries. The stair chair currently used to transport patients creates technical challenges while patients are being transported on staircases and no longer appears safe and usable.

The research team’s objective is to understand EMTs’ activities when they use stair chairs in different situations and environments, both real and simulated, in order to develop and test a prototype.

This interdisciplinary research project will combine ergonomics, biomechanics and engineering, as well as partners’ expertise, to present a prototype stair chair.