Healthcare furniture has to do a lot more than sit pretty. It needs to be durable enough to withstand constant use and sanitation demands. It needs to be comfortable to support the staff and patients during long wait times.
It should also be safe to clean and disinfect. That means minimizing surface joints and seams, which can act as organism reservoirs.
Waiting Room Chairs
Hospital waiting chairs are a critical piece of furniture that has a huge impact on your visitor’s comfort, the aesthetic of your space, and your brand. You want your visitors to feel welcomed and comfortable while they’re waiting for their appointment or test results. You also need your chairs to be durable enough to withstand constant use and frequent cleaning.
When it comes to choosing the right chair for your waiting area, look for a combination of comfort, durability, and style to suit your needs. Look for a seat depth and width that will be able to accommodate different body types, as well as armrests that provide extra support. If you need to store your chairs, choose stackable options that will be easy to move and reposition.
Infection control is a major concern in hospitals, so it’s important to select seating with easily-sanitized materials. Look for upholstery that can be disinfected and consider options with a built-in sanitizer or a wipe-down fabric surface. For chairs that will be used frequently by patients and visitors, look for upholstery with removable cushion covers to make it easier to clean stains or bacteria between uses.
Whether you’re looking for an ergonomic seat to support your staff or an attractive design that will give guests a warm welcome to your facility, there are plenty of options to choose from. When selecting seating, take the time to sit in it yourself and ask regular visitors for their feedback so that you can be confident your chairs are comfortable and welcoming.
While you may not need to replace your waiting room chairs immediately, it’s important to plan ahead and keep an eye on their wear and tear. It’s also important to set up a maintenance schedule for your seating that will help you determine when it’s time for an inspection or replacement. Just as a doctor wouldn’t use a hammer when he or she needs a scalpel, you should only trust your medical seating to reputable manufacturers that offer products with durable construction and construction methods that will stand up to the demands of everyday use in a hospital setting.
Patient Lift Chairs
For patients with severe arthritis or neuromuscular diseases who can’t stand on their own from a chair, a patient lift is an important medical device to aid in standing. These chairs require a physician prescription as a medical necessity and can be purchased through Medicare. They also need to be properly suited to the user. For example, a person who weighs more than 250 pounds cannot use a standard lift chair. Instead, they should opt for a bariatric chair with an appropriate weight capacity.
Hospital furniture must meet a range of specifications, including the ability to be easily cleaned and disinfected for infection control purposes. This doesn’t only include fabrics but all components of the furniture, from the frame to the upholstery. Plush fabrics with untreated woven coverings tend to absorb liquids and retain stains, whereas vinyl upholstery that is treated with antimicrobial agents helps prevent the spread of germs.
In addition, furniture should be durable enough to withstand heavy use. This includes a high-quality metal or steel frame that won’t bend, a reinforced base with a load capacity of 400 pounds or more and the ability to resist corrosion. The surface of a wooden seat should have large radii along edges to avoid the trapping of dirt or microorganisms, while organic substrates should be coated to make them resistant to disinfectants.
Patient waiting chairs must also feature a basic design that makes it easy for healthcare workers to reposition and transport them. For example, the Atlas chair has a robust frame with an extra-wide seat for patients with limited mobility and a high backrest for postural support. The chair is also lightweight for ease of moving, but it may be less stable than other models.
Many of the chairs found in hospitals are designed specifically for this environment, with a range of functionality that assists medical and administrative staff to complete their tasks effectively. For example, the ergonomic design of healthcare desk chairs helps medical and administration staff stay focused and productive throughout the workday. Hospital chairs with adjustable features and ergonomic designs are commonly used in hospitals, clinics, and specialist practices, ensuring that both patients and healthcare providers benefit from maximum comfort and support. For this reason, healthcare furniture should be replaced when it becomes uncomfortable, worn out or if the foam padding has lost its springiness.
Hospital Cafeteria Chairs
If you need chairs for your hospital cafeteria, look for designs that can be easily cleaned and sanitized. This can help to prevent the spread of bacteria and infection and to ensure that the dining area stays safe for patients, visitors and staff. Opt for chairs with smooth edges that will prevent accidental falls and offer optimum comfort for all types of users.
Alternatively, opt for plastic café chairs which can be easily wiped clean and are designed to be robust and hard-wearing. These are available in a range of styles to suit your healthcare environment and can be easily stacked for easy storage and movement. These are also highly cost-effective, especially if you opt for a design that is made from recycled materials.
Healthcare spaces should be inviting and comfortable for patients, visitors and staff alike. Well-thought out seating can elevate patient experience and enable people to relax, unwind and enjoy nutrient-rich meals while they recover. Hospital cafeterias are particularly stressful environments, and only with proper furniture can you provide a space that will ease tension and enable patients to fully unwind.
You should also consider the type of chairs that are best suited to your hospital’s particular needs and requirements. For example, high-traffic waiting areas may require beam seating – a design that centres around a long metal beam on which plastic seats and backs are affixed. Beam seats are durable, comfortable and able to withstand the most stringent of infection control regimes.
If your hospital’s consultation rooms are used by a mix of adults and children, you should opt for designs that have been specially tailored to accommodate the needs of both users. For example, you can buy children’s hospital chairs which have been specifically designed to withstand the rigours of use by toddlers and infants. Alternatively, you can opt for a basic task chair like the Newbury armchair which can be easily adjusted to cater for the needs of adult users and is perfect as a cafeteria chair for standard consultation rooms.
Whether you are looking for chairs for the patient lounge, nurse station, waiting room or any other part of your healthcare facility, it is essential to purchase quality designs from a reputable supplier. This will ensure that the chairs are built to last and that they have been quality tested to ensure compliance with any relevant regulations. In addition, you can be sure that the products you purchase are backed by manufacturer warranties.
Ward Chairs
Hospital ward chairs are a vital part of the hospital experience. Patients are in and out all day and night and the chairs must be highly durable to cope with the busy, crowded environment. Infection control is also a key consideration for ward chairs and they should be designed to minimize surface contact and have easy-to-clean surfaces. In addition, they should be constructed by licensed professionals and quality tested to ensure they comply with regulatory codes.
A common design for a hospital chair is a basic metal frame with high backrest to support upright posture and hardwearing waterproof upholstery. This type of seating is found throughout NHS hospitals in the UK and addresses the needs of patients undergoing treatment, assessment or observation. It also provides a cost-effective solution for busy hospital environments.
However, one size doesn’t fit all in this context so chairs need to be adjustable and provide customizable dimensions to accommodate varying sizes of patients over time. A child will outgrow a standard children’s hospital chair and the flexibility of a chair that can be resized easily without tools by a single carer is an important feature for this patient group.
For elderly or geriatric patients, chairs need to address comfort and postural requirements with features such as rise and recline mechanisms that assist with getting in and out of the seat. This helps to relieve pressure points and alleviate pain/injuries while providing the opportunity to move and socialize.
Infection control is paramount for this patient population and the seats need to have simple, standardised features to be practical on busy acute wards. Nonporous, smooth surfaces with large inside radii to avoid material entrapment facilitate cleaning and minimize organism reservoirs that can further spread healthcare associated infections (HAIs).
All types of seating will benefit from quality craftsmanship and being made by licensed manufacturers. Durability is key as it will minimise the need for repair or replacement over time, especially when being used by a diverse range of patients with different health conditions. It is also a good idea to ask suppliers how the furniture is cleaned and sanitized to prevent cross-contamination. This is particularly critical for fabric seating as even the highest quality fabrics can fall victim to set-in dirt and stains that are difficult or impossible to remove.
