Knowing how to safely transport wheelchair patients helps prevent any oversights or mistakes that cause a patient to become injured or uncomfortable. That’s why safety always comes first when transporting wheelchair patients.

We provide leading Melbourne non-emergency medical transportation to wheelchair patients of all ages. In order to offer the best services possible, we stay up to date on the latest regulations and innovations taking place in the industry.

Safe Wheelchair Transfer Techniques

Safely transporting a patient from a wheelchair requires an understanding of their injuries and physical needs, thus allowing you to properly move them without causing further injury or discomfort. 

You also need to be sure that the wheelchair is able to support transferring without presenting additional risks to the patient. 

Depending on where you are transferring the patient the techniques will vary.

Transferring patients from a bed to a wheelchair: A caregiver is necessary to provide this type of transfer assistance. Tug the bed sheet down to the bottom of the bed before attempting to transfer. Next, have the patient scoot as close to the edge of the bed as possible. The wheelchair and caregiver should each be positioned right beside the bed, closest to the patient.

Transferring patients from a wheelchair into a car: The best way to go about this is to remove or push aside footrests on the vehicle, as this allows a clear path of transfer from the wheelchair to the car. Push the seat of the car back as far as it will go, this gives the patient the most room possible to comfortably get inside. Help the patient move to the edge of their wheelchair before having them lean their upper body forward and towards the caregiver.

Transferring patients from wheelchair to couch: Move the chair as close to the seat of the couch as possible, so that they are side-by-side and as conjoined as possible. Instead of having the chair face the couch, try to align them side-by-side. The patient can help support himself or herself by leaning on the wheel farthest from the couch with one hand. He or she can use the other hand to hold onto the caregiver or the couch.

Transferring patients from wheelchair to toilet: A raised toilet seat with attached armrests is very helpful. The armrests give the wheelchair user something to help support their weight. As a result, one can be moved with much greater ease, fluidity and safety.

Top 3 Tips For Safe Wheelchair Transportation:

1. Provide Personalized Care

Every patient is unique in terms of his or her needs. When you transfer patients talk to them every step of the way to ease their worries and let them know exactly what’s going on. In order to truly personalize care to individual patients you need to know background information about them. 

In order to provide the safest and most comfortable transfer you should know:

  • The patients preferred method of transfer
  • Patients overall physical mobility
  • If the wheelchair is housing any special padding or devices, such as a urine collection bag.
  • If the patient is at risk for muscle spasms or other physical issues.

2. Prepare Ahead Of Time

You don’t want to be unprepared, so think ahead and plan for every step of the way.

  • If moving the patient to a wheelchair, have the armrests and footrests flipped up and out in advance. This prevents the patient from knocking against external chair parts, as well as tripping over footrests.
  • Have the wheelchair positioned so that it is either level with the intended transfer location, or slightly lower than.
  • In most cases, it is helpful to place the wheelchair parallel to the intended destination.
  • Always put on the wheel locks and check to make sure the chair is stable before transferring a patient.

3. Rely On Two-Person Transfer Techniques

If two people are required to transport a patient they should work together to successfully accomplish the two-person transfer. One caregiver stands behind the patient and the other stands in front of the patient and does the lifting.

Patients should have a gait or transfer belt, which caregivers use to grab onto. The caregiver in front should stand as close to the patient as possible. The caregivers will help the patient scoot to the edge of his or her wheelchair, and then check to make sure his or her feet are safely beneath the body.  Once ready to transfer, the caregiver in front lifts up as the patient simultaneously pushes upwards.

Stellar Transportation includes first-class reliable wheelchair transportation as a part of our mission statement. We guarantee to keep your loved ones safe and comfortable for local and long distance rides.