Carle Illinois physician innovators Alex Lucas and Christina Moawad have developed a new system to protect emergency medical personnel while they’re on the job working to save patients’ lives. The Emergency Medical Safety Harness system for ambulances is intended to protect medics working in the rear of the vehicle from injury during sudden acceleration, deceleration, or collision.
Statistics indicate many medics don’t wear seatbelts during ambulance runs, resulting in thousands of injuries to EMS staff each year. The innovative safety system developed at Carle Illinois includes a “harness” worn by medics that clips to a cord attached to a movable mount in the ceiling of the ambulance. A locking device in the ceiling mount keeps the medic secure from falls or injury in the event of a crash or sudden changes in speed. The harness allows medics to stand, move freely within the range of the device, and perform medically necessary tasks for the patient, without compromising emergency responder safety.
Team members who contributed to the prototype of the EMS Safety Harness included students from the Mechanical Systems Engineering department and MBA Candidate Ezequiel Guzman, who helped develop the business plan. Faculty advisors include Grainger College of Engineering Assistant Professor Girish Krishnan and clinical faculty member Dr. Michael J. Smith of Carle Health.