Increase Access to Healthcare Services with Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Equipment

Persons with disabilities, particularly those with mobility disabilities, continue to experience unequal access to healthcare services in outpatient healthcare facilities, unlike persons without disabilities. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guarantees equal opportunities, they continue to experience structural or environmental barriers, such as inaccessible exam tables and the lack of proper equipment available for transfer between wheelchair and exam table, which prevent such persons from having access to complete healthcare services. In recent years, however, the ADA has published a guideline that illustrates the use of safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM) equipment as a solution to improve accessibility for persons with mobility disabilities. The implementation of SPHM equipment is supported further by guidelines from other governmental and nongovernmental sectors and SPHM interprofessional national standards, not only to improve access to healthcare services but to enhance safety and prevent injuries.

Yeung Y

Keywords: disability access, patient assessment, safe patient handling