A major expense in hospital budgets are outdated wheelchairs utilized for institutional patient transportation. First, the cost of one wheelchair averages $350. Second, the cost of maintaining these wheelchairs over time requires signing on for expensive maintenance contracts. Because they have removable parts which break or get lost, maintenance contracts are an unavoidable expense for standard wheelchairs. Third, a high rate of theft is associated with self-propelled, folding wheelchairs. The idea that these folding chairs, designed for home use, should still be used by hospitals as the standard for patient transportation is worth challenging in order to modernize and make the move to something more sustainable during these tough economic times.
Staxi, an American company, did extensive research with hospitals to learn what the issues were and what sorts of wheelchair features medical professionals and transport workers would find useful. Since hospitals spend a lot of money buying extra wheelchairs to account for those they know will go missing, need repair or otherwise become inoperable during the course of a year, it is believed that a theft-proof chair would be an economic windfall. According to Staxi’s findings, hospitals spend 20% to 30% of their patient transportation equipment budget on over-procurement of wheelchairs to ensure ready access for institutional in-house patient transportation because on average, 40% of standard wheelchairs go missing annually.
Hospitals could save and reallocate a great deal of money if they could replace the traditional high-maintenance wheelchairs with something that requires very little maintenance, is not desirable to thieves, would not take up a great deal of space, could carry passengers and their belongings, reduce injury to nurses and transport workers and would be an initial cost-effective investment.
Thankfully, a theft-resistant wheelchair has been designed which addresses many of the concerns of those interviewed for Staxi’s research. Among the most important elements is its non-folding design, which will not fit easily into a standard passenger vehicle. Another element is the automatic wheel lock, which means that the chair requires an assistant to move the chair – these new designs are not self-propelled, so no one can simply roll away with one.
Theft isn’t the only issue, however. All too often, wheelchairs are “borrowed” by staff on another unit or folded and stuffed into a closet somewhere to save space on the halls, leaving staff members to scramble when a wheelchair is needed. One solution to this issue is a stackable design, much like grocery store shopping carts, that can be nested inside their own racks. Color-coded frames or seating can identify at a glance which chair belongs on which unit, eliminating the issue of which chairs belong where. And if there’s still doubt, unique serial numbers and I.D. plates can answer the issue.
Modern ergonomic design also speaks to the issue of nurse, attendant and patient safety. Arms that lift allow for easy pivot patient transfers, resulting in reduced back injury to nurses and attendants. Steel frames and stronger seating materials have increased the weight limit on an average-sized chair from 250 to 500 pounds (larger steel bariatric chairs can handle up to 1,000 pounds!) Sturdier, more efficient frame design allows transport of patients and their belongings (through ample under-seat storage) without concern for the wheelchair’s weight limit.
New innovations in patient transportation could eliminate much of the hassle and expense experienced by hospitals in their quest to ensure that everyone’s needs are met. Sturdier materials, theft-resistant features, and at-a-glance identifiably provide a huge boon to administrative staff in their efforts to cut costs.