Baby Got Backpack Essay

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) have to exert large forces to lift the patients that they shuttle to the hospital. Most of this force is generated from their lower back. The movement that EMTs need to undergo leads to awkward positions, which can lead to lower back pain and injuries. 40% of EMTs have postures that needs corrective measures. A study by the CDC in 2008 showed that of the 27,000 injuries that occurred in EMTs, 21% of them were related to the lower back. 62% of those injuries were attributed to lifting patients into the back of the ambulance. This percentage of injuries to the lower back is disproportionately high. To fix this issue, the design team will create a device that will facilitate the movement of the stretcher into the back of the ambulance without taking substantial time or
The design concentrates the weight on the shoulders and hips, where it would be less likely to cause back pain and injuries. The final design, named, “Baby Got Backpack” has two parts: the backpack and the straps. The backpack is designed to mold to the EMT’s back and provide support for lifting the stretcher. The straps are sewn into the backpack and go over the EMT’s shoulders. A belt, similar to the straps, also connects the backpack to the EMT. The straps then connect to carabiner clips that the EMT can connect to the stretcher holding the patient. Since the carabiner clips can attach to many different sizes of rods on the stretcher, it is able to connect to many different kinds of stretchers. This design, all together, works by transferring the weight of the stretcher and patient from the carabiner clips, to the straps. From here, the weight would be transferred from the straps to the shoulders, from the belt to the hips and finally from the backpack to the entire