Identification of design requirements for ergonomic long spinal board using quality function deployment (QFD)

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a basic medical acts carried to an accident victim with the purpose of sustaining life and preventing a decline in body condition before the victim finally getting further treatment from medical personnel. One evacuation tool of first aid commonly used is Long Spinal Board (LSB). This tool is set up as an emergency stretcher boards made from wood or polymer with a flat surface that is used to perform the evacuation of the injured spinal cord. The basic principle of the LSB use is to immobilize the position of the spine so that the secondary injury on the spine due to swing, clash, or shocks that occurred during the evacuation process can be minimized. However, the existing LSB has several disadvantages, both in terms of user comfort, and also the effectiveness and efficiency of the evacuation process when done. A recent study found the LSB use can cause pain, discomfort, and respiratory disorders to the patients. Furthermore, the LSB can blockage the flow of oxygen in the tissue capillaries at the placement of strap. Therefore, it is important to improve the design of the LSB with the aims to achieve mobility and better equipment compatibility when used, so that the evacuation process can be done more effectively, efficiently and safely. This study identifies the design requirements of ergonomic LSB using Quality Function Deployment (QFD). QFD is an effective design method to integrate ergonomics needs and comfort into LSB design because it explicitly addresses the translation of customer requirements into engineering characteristics. Preliminary survey was conducted through direct observation of the actual use of LSB that exists today and interviews with volunteers from the Indonesian Red Cross of West Sumatera. Data gathered was translated into questionnaire and answered by 47 participants from medics, Red Cross, Ambulance Unit Medical Officer and rescue team of Padang, West Sumatera. Then it was clarified and used in the House of Quality matrix. The QFD analysis of the LSB revealed that the selection of LSB main board materials, the application of LSB strap systems, as well as the addition of LSB features were receiving the highest overall weighting, which means that improving the design of those criteria would lead to higher customer satisfaction. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.