Avoiding Hospital Wheelchairs Discomfort in Hospital Settings

One of the common grievances among patients in a hospital is the discomfort caused by wheelchairs. Already under strain of recovering from the illness, the hospital wheelchairs put additional burden on them.

Patients with mobility issues are moved around using a wheelchair in the hospital. They are made to sit for long hours on them while waiting for taking various tests or while taking them for nature walks etc. It is here discomfort arises.

Some Common Injuries

Poorly built wheelchairs causes pressure sores to the users of wheelchairs. These sores generally occur on the foot, heel, buttocks and shoulder blades. They cause immense pain to the patients. Sometimes, they cause more harm to the patient.

Also, a bad Hospital wheelchair leads to accident injuries. The most common accident injury is the tipping and falling from chair. This arises from the poor design of the chair which has stability issues while in indoor/outdoor settings.

Another major injury caused by a malfunctioning wheelchair is the shoulder joint strain. This occurs to both the patients who use the chair on their own or to the handlers of the wheelchair. The wheels of the chair, when improperly designed, puts immense pressure on the shoulders of the users. This causes rotator cuff strain.

Apart from these, many more injuries occur due to wheelchair use.

Avoiding Discomfort

Hospitals can ease the discomfort of the patients if they pay attention to the type of wheelchair they are going to use.

Though Hospital Wheelchairs - Suppliers in India are used for temporary purposes, the management of the hospitals can put efforts to procure those chairs which have:

·         Adequate postural support

·         Adjustable and removable wheels

·         Proper cushioning for comfort

·         Made of composite for light weight

·         Easily washable to avoid infection

·         Ease the workload on hospital staff with smooth operability

·         Structural integrity to avoid tipping or falling

·         High weight bearing capacity

Thus, hospital managements have to take care of these minute details. Only then, great healthcare service can be provided.