Reduction of multiple-caregiver assistance through the long-term use of a transfer support robot in a nursing facility

The long-term use of transfer support robots in nursing facilities is an important option for improving the efficiency of care work. The “Resyone” transfer support robot is a combination of an electric care bed and a wheelchair, and the wheelchair half of the bed can be detached at the touch of a button. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the long-term use of Resyone would improve the performance of transfer assists, such as reducing the need for multiple caregivers. One Resyone was installed in a nursing facility in Japan and 17 caregivers used it for more than 11 months. The time and number of caregivers required for each transfer assist were surveyed for three 1-week periods: 1 week before (Phase 1) and at 3 weeks (Phase 2) and 11 months (Phase 3) after the introduction of Resyone. In Phase 1, approximately 60% of all transfer assists were performed by two caregivers, but in Phase 2, this was reduced to approximately 20%, and finally, in Phase 3, all transfer assists were performed by a single caregiver. These results suggested that the long-term use of Resyone was associated with improved work efficiency in transfer assistance in a nursing facility.在养老机构中长期使用转运辅助机器人，是提升照护工作效能的重要可行方案。本研究涉及的Resyone转运辅助机器人（Resyone）为电动护理床与轮椅的一体化设备，其轮椅模块可通过一键操作从床体分离。本研究旨在探究Resyone的长期使用如何优化转运辅助作业效能，例如减少对多名护理人员的需求。研究团队在日本某养老机构部署了一台Resyone机器人，共有17名护理人员累计使用时长超11个月。本研究针对三个为期一周的阶段开展调研，统计每次转运辅助作业所需的耗时与护理人员数量：调研阶段分别为Resyone部署前1周（阶段1）、部署后3周（阶段2）以及部署后11个月（阶段3）。阶段1中，约60%的转运辅助作业需两名护理人员协作完成；阶段2时该比例降至约20%；至阶段3，所有转运辅助作业均可由单名护理人员独立完成。上述结果表明，在养老机构中长期使用Resyone机器人，可有效提升转运辅助作业的工作效能。