subject: Transport Chair | A Medical Wheelchair Performs All Your Needs, Just Not Surgery [print this page] The purpose of a medical wheelchair is not that of facilitating the free and independent movement of its occupant. In fact, it may often be just the opposite, to limit that person's mobility to travel within prescribed boundaries.
This is not because people in clinical settings are mean and want everyone around them to suffer -- although how an individual feels on any given day is their own business -- rather because imposed limits are generally necessary for the speedy healing of the patient. Or at the very least to reduce the chances of a patient injuring herself.
There is also some hope to avoid litigation in this last example. But that does not make the facility evil, just prudent.
A Medical Wheelchair Designed for a Clinical Setting
Unfortunately, because the primary purpose of wheelchairs is to provide their users with a level of mobility they would not otherwise have, conflicts frequently arise between a facility's regulations and a patient's desire to circumvent rules, or even to "not be any trouble." Sadly, patient intentions aside, such actions can lead to serious consequences for the facility and its staff, even if no one is injured.
Fortunately, an alternative transport chair on the market eliminates this issue. Which is important, as very often these rules are not set by the facility, but by the state, and funding can depend on them being abided by.
Wheelchair Attendants Have Spines Too
Beyond the problem of patients taking wheelchairs out for joyrides - and setting aside the issue of them sometimes taking them home and "forgetting" they have them - is that even when the regulations are obeyed to the letter, a significant risk of injury exists. This is because medical wheelchairs are not designed with the attendant in mind.
When one considers that most standard chairs require the attendant to hunch over while pushing the chair, there is some slight risk to the patient and considerable long-term wear and tear on nurses and support personnel. This doesn't even include the problems associated with lifting the patient from the bed or exam table and inserting her backwards into a chair - where the brakes might or might not have been fully locked.
Even if a sudden back injury doesn't result, there is almost guaranteed to be a buildup of small injuries and insults to the back and joints over time. This in turn will lead, at best, to reduced productivity and increased sick days, and at worst to medical bills that the facility will be at least partially responsible for. This is not an ideal situation.
The Perfect Wheelchair for Hospitals and Other Care Facilities
Again, the alternative transport chair is there to vastly reduce, if not eliminate these risks.
This chair is so designed that an attendant can only move it; the occupant cannot propel it forward. Part and parcel of this design is a steering handle ergonomically designed to promote good posture while at the same time making the chair easier to push.
When this same handle is released, the chair is literally locked in place, as the brakes set automatically. While rouge wheelchairs are often funny on screens big and small, they are less so in reality. With this chair, that problem will not occur.
Strain on support personnel is also reduced by armrests that lower and raise to allow for side loading. Not only does this feature lessen strain on the attendant, but it also allows for greater independence on the part of the patients, which improves their experience as well.
