Skin traction prototype: Biomechanical analysis and design for resource-limited setting
Merylle R. Dinglasan, Althea Sophia Anne K. Alidio, Haide Mirielle U. Magtibay, Justine Kirvy M. Ordovez, Carie Justine P. Estrellado & Karissa Arielle F. Genuino-Regalado
Abstract
This study aimed to develop and biomechanically validate a modular skin traction prototype specifically tailored for resource-limited settings, addressing critical limitations in force precision and pressure injury mitigation inherent to improvised solutions. A developmental research design employed empirical mechanical testing to calculate the force transmission ratio and confirm the mechanical efficiency. Biomechanical safety was established by simulating and measuring the peak interface pressure and maximum shear stress. The prototype’s clinical viability was then assessed through remote validation via an ordinal survey from three independent orthopedic specialists, with inter-rater agreement quantified using Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance. The prototype achieved a high mechanical efficiency of 95.05%, demonstrating reliable force delivery. Biomechanically, Pmax was 5.8 kPa, confirming safety below the 6.0 kPa capillary closing threshold. Specialist validation yielded perfect consensus (W=1.00) across all nine criteria, resulting in a unanimous recommendation to proceed to clinical trials, contingent on design refinements suggested in the qualitative consultation. The key limitations are the absence of a formal, integrated design thinking process and the lack of full adherence to regulatory standards (e.g., ISO 13485). The findings provide a validated engineering foundation, proving that low-cost materials can meet stringent biomechanical safety requirements, which is crucial for developing a scalable medical device.
Keywords
health, healthcare, surface materials, hospital design
Author information & Contribution
Merylle R. Dinglasan. Senior High School. Tayabas Western Academy, Candelaria, Quezon.
Althea Sophia Anne K. Alidio. Senior High School. Tayabas Western Academy, Candelaria, Quezon.
Haide Mirielle U. Magtibay. Senior High School. Tayabas Western Academy, Candelaria, Quezon.
Justine Kirvy M. Ordovez. Senior High School. Tayabas Western Academy, Candelaria, Quezon.
Carie Justine P. Estrellado. Corresponding author. Researcher. Tayabas Western Academy. cjpe.twa@gmail.com.
Karissa Arielle F. Genuino-Regalado. Medical Officer IV. Quirino Memorial Medical Center.
"Author 1 served as the Principal Investigator, responsible for the original Conceptualization, development of the Methodology, and the detailed Prototype Design. Author 2 contributed to the Formal Analysis and finalized the research framework. Author 3 and Author 4 managed the Visualization, creating the 3D renderings, and conducted the Investigation by identifying and coordinating the specialist evaluators. Author 5 was responsible for the Data Curation and statistical analysis of the quantitative and ordinal validation metrics. Author 6 executed the clinical Validation component, edited the grammar for the manuscript, and contributed to the original draft preparation. All authors participated in the final review and editing of the manuscript."
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
This study did not involve human or animal subjects as defined by Institutional Review Board (IRB) guidelines. The human evaluators who provided feedback on the prototype were not considered research subjects, and all materials used were non-hazardous.
Data and Materials Availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
AI Declaration
The authors declare that no artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used to generate new content, original ideas, or data for this manuscript. The following AI tools were employed solely to assist with the technical preparation of the manuscript, ensuring adherence to publication standards and conventions: Grammarly: Utilized for a final review of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. ChatGPT: Employed for the technical formatting of citations and the reference list in accordance with APA style guidelines. The model used for this purpose was an OpenAI model, such as GPT-4.0 or GPT-5, as accessed via the ChatGPT platform. Gemini: Utilized for the technical formatting of citations and the reference list in accordance with APA style guidelines. The model used for this purpose was a Google model, such as Gemini 2.5 Pro. The intellectual content of all references and the selection of sources were entirely the responsibility of the human authors. This declaration is made in the interest of transparency and to uphold the ethical principles of academic publishing.
Notes
Acknowledgement
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Cite this article:
Dinglasan, M.R., Alidio, A.S.A.K., Magtibay, H.M.U., Ordovez, J.K.M., Estrellado, C.J.P. & Genuino-Regalado, K.A.F. (2026). Skin traction prototype: Biomechanical analysis and design for resource-limited setting. Journal of Allied Health Sciences & Medical Research, 2(2), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.53378/jahsmr.353339
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) International License.
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