Hospital patient transportation is one aspect of a hospital’s operations in which a quality product is essential. Considering how many chairs are broken or stolen from hospitals, it is important that replacement costs are considered carefully. When considering patient safety, security and stability, as well as overall value, no hospital can afford to spend money unwisely.
Safety
In its most simplistic function, the transport chair should be designed to safely transport a range of patients in the hospital. Unfortunately, some wheelchair and transport chairs do not take certain things into consideration with their design: manual application of the brakes as well as the risk to the attendant bending over and lifting patients into some models is detrimental to the health of both the attendant and occupant.
Transport chairs which involve automatic brakes are much safer. The brake system should have some kind of fail-safe mechanism as well. Additionally, in light of the bending required by many standard wheelchairs, the chair should be elevated, reducing the stress on attendants and simplifying the transfer of patients.
Security
In light of the number of reported thefts which take place in hospitals transport chairs need to be made to reduce such occurrences. In fact, sources indicate that some hospitals lose anywhere from ten to fifteen percent of their wheelchair fleet due to theft. With the standard wheelchair designed for ease of folding and collapse, it almost seems as the chairs are built to encourage theft.
Transport chairs with non-removable parts and an inability of being folded or collapsed can help address the theft problem significantly. Additionally, features involving coin locks and the need for the patient to be pushed (i.e. not self-propelled) can be very effective in the reduction of wheelchair theft. Considering the growing incidence of wheelchair theft, these features cannot be overlooked.
Stability
With the average wheelchair having a lifespan of between one to three years, on average, due to declines in stability, solid construction becomes another important consideration in the purchase of hospital transport chairs. Those chairs that aren’t stolen often fail when the vinyl seats and cheaply made frames fall apart. These shortcomings in the integrity of the wheelchair’s build result in an unusable chair.
A stable hospital transport chair must use strong materials, such as steel when constructing the frame. Additionally, in contrast to many standard wheelchairs, the paint and exterior must be able to withstand weather conditions. Look for paint which is high grade and includes an undercoat and overcoat.
Other Considerations
Another important feature when considering hospital transport chairs is their ability to stack neatly out of the way. This can save an enormous amount of space.
Additionally, you want to consider the warranty offered on the chair you are considering. Compare the warranties on potential hospital transport chairs in order to make a more informed decision regarding service and replacement if a chair becomes unusable. A hospital transport chair is a significant investment and should reflect the quality service for which you want your institution to be known.
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