Choosing the Best Castors for Health and Aged Care

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Choosing the Best Castors for Health and Aged Care

Choosing the Best Castors for Health and Aged Care

Specially designed medical castors are an essential part of the health and aged care industry. Choosing the right castor for the application is vital to ensuring a positive experience for both patients and employees. Here are some of the benefits of using the right castor for health and aged care applications.

Health and Aged Care Equipment

Due to the nature of health and aged care, medical equipment requires castors specially designed for ergonomics and patient comfort. Castor applications usually include:

  • Beds and table trays
  • Ultrasound equipment
  • Mobile x-ray machines
  • Medical monitors
  • Operating room carts
  • Critical care carts
  • Anaesthesia carts
  • IV poles
  • MRIs
  • Hospital linen carts

This equipment is often moved throughout the care facility and must be efficiently and effectively manoeuvred. Some equipment uses a braking system and moves long distances, while other equipment is kept within one room and is always free moving. For optimal operation, castors should always meet the unique needs of each application.

Health and Aged Care Environments

Hospitals and aged care facilities are unique environments with very specific needs. Situations often occur where speed and dependability are essential. Critically ill patients may need to be moved long distances fast – often across multiple floors, via lifts and to many rooms. During such situations, reliable equipment is imperative to ensuring patient safety and comfort, as well as ease of use for the operator.

The often-chaotic environment inherent in hospitals can create a noisy environment for patients who need peace and quiet while being treated or recovering. This can be improved by using equipment that has been designed with noise reduction in mind.

The health and aged cared industry can also involve the use of harsh chemicals. Equipment must be able to withstand the negative effects exposure to these chemicals often brings.

Medical castors underpin the service provided by medical equipment. Therefore, they must be reliable and meet the varying demands of the medical industry. The right castor will be:

  • dependable
  • safe
  • quiet
  • shock dampening
  • easily manoeuvred
  • non-damaging

Medical castors vary to suit the many applications within the health and aged care environment. For example, castors used on hospital beds require a more complex braking and locking mechanism that is easy to use. This usually involves applying multiple brakes with one pedal so that equipment can be locked in place quickly and securely. Using an appropriate castor ensures that equipment can function optimally in an environment where it’s often critical.

Benefits of Well-designed Medical Castors

The benefits of choosing tailor-made castors in the medical industry include:

  • Patient safety and comfort
  • Noise reduction
  • Ease of use
  • Floor protection
  • Equipment protection
  • Reduced maintenance

Patient safety and comfort

A person admitted to hospital or an aged care home is usually seriously ill or facing mobility challenges. These patients expect a certain level of comfort that can only be provided by castors designed for the medical industry. Using the incorrect castor can result in jarring and unsafe motion when patients are being moved. Tailor-made castors ensure a smooth ride over various floor types through improved rolling resistance.

Noise reduction

Medical castor wheels are made from materials that have excellent noise reduction qualities. Materials like neoprene or a combination of polypropylene and rubber provide increased rollability, which allows equipment to roll over obstacles without disturbing nearby patients. These castors ensure that medical equipment and patients can be moved through the care facility as quietly as possible, maintaining peace and quiet for all patients.

Ease of use

Health and aged care employees spend much of their time moving equipment, often under time pressure. An incorrect castor can put employees at higher risk of injury and increase the number of workplace health and safety claims. The improved rolling resistance of medical castors ensures equipment is easily manoeuvred, thereby reducing the risk of injury.

Floor protection

Maintaining a safe, aesthetically pleasing floor is vital in the health and aged care industry. Patients must be moved safely, while feeling secure and comfortable. The materials used in medical castor wheels are non-marking, which reduces the need for frequent floor cleaning. The soft cushioning effect created by these materials also means that floors are not damaged during operation, reducing the need to replace floors regularly. This not only saves money but also helps to provide a safe and comfortable environment for patients.

Equipment protection

Regardless of the application, an incorrect castor can increase the risk of impact loading, as well as damage to equipment. Equipment used in the health and aged care industry is often extremely expensive and repairs can be costly. Medical castors reduce the risk of impact loading and help to protect equipment against unnecessary damage. This can effectively reduce the costs involved in medical equipment repairs and replacement.

Reduced maintenance

Due to the risk of infection, medical environments must be free of contaminants and extremely clean. Therefore, it is imperative to use materials that are easy to clean and maintain and do not harbour contaminants. Medical castor frames are available in a washable chrome finish or are zinc plated to reduce corrosion. Stainless steel and nylon castor frames will resist corrosion caused by exposure to harsh chemicals and are rust resistant and easily washed. Using the right material ensures cleaning and maintaining medical castors is easy.

Choosing the Right Castor

To get the most out of your castors, it is essential to choose the right castor for the job, and this is truer than ever in the health and aged care industry. Castors tailor made for the industry offer improved safety, manoeuvrability and patient comfort. However, different medical castors suit different applications, so it is important to choose a castor that best meets the requirements of your chosen application. Chat to one of our experts now and let us help you find the perfect castor for the job.

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