As with all things in paediatric care, ceiling track hoists for children’s wards need to be designed a little bit differently.
So if you’re putting together some designs for a paediatrics overhead hoist system, then make sure to include the following things.
Let’s start by thinking about why you would use hoists for children’s wards. Primarily, it will be used for straightforward transfers to and from various points in the room.
But there are other uses. A common use for hoist systems on children’s wards is for gait training.
Using a walking vest sling, the hoist tapes can be set to the perfect height for the child to keep them supported and upright when practising walking. This is particularly good for kids in rehabilitation.
The hoist can also be used to help reposition children in bed. Using a turning sling, you can help kids roll over and reposition if they don’t have that ability themselves.
Hoist systems in children’s wards are also useful to help with changing and hygiene purposes. The hoist can help get you around and lift you up to make it easier for nurses and carers to wash and change kids.
One thing to bear in mind is that children may sometimes spasm when being hoisted. This is something seen a lot with kids who have special educational needs.
In this case, safeguarding the children from any injuries they might sustain when being hoisted is key. The spreader bar that is attached to the hoist tapes needs some attention to make sure the patient doesn’t injure themselves.
It is also recommended that you use a smaller spreader bar with paediatric patients on hoists for children’s wards. This means that the lifting sling will sit more snugly and give them more support and safety when being hoisted.
Although the hoist system is being used in a children’s ward (where patients are typically smaller in size), it’s worth bearing in mind that you might still be needed to facilitate plus-sized children.
For plus-sized adult patients, we’d usually recommend that you choose a hoist unit with a 350kg or 500kg weight limit.
In terms of plus-sized kids, we would say to use a hoist unit with a 200kg weight limit. This will give you the flexibility to hoist plus-sized children whenever necessary, and the hoist itself will be just as discreet and subtle.
We’re all about discreet design, but it truly is a necessity with kids. Because hoist systems can look so clinical and unfamiliar, it can be very scary for children to be hoisted.
We would always say to keep your hoist system as discreet as possible so that patients aren’t distressed at the sight of it. There are quite a few things that can help with this.
First of all, the tracking itself can be installed inset to the ceiling to make it subtler. This will also make the entire system less noticeable even as you walk into the room.
Another thing you might want to consider is having somewhere to hide the hoist unit when it’s not in use. There are a couple of ways you can do this.
You can include a cupboard in the designs that will be at the end of a piece of the hoist rail. Then you can slide the hoist unit in there when you’re not using it and it’s out of sight.
An alternative solution would be the Integralift hidden hoist. This is an overhead hoist that folds out of a bedhead unit and can provide easy transfers to and from beds and chairs.
It’s totally discreet and you wouldn’t even know it was there when it’s folded away. It’s also available in many different wood finishes and colours, so you can make the children’s ward as colourful and creative as you want.
The Integralift can be fitted with colourful lights for sensory stimulation.
If you wanted to make the ward bright, colourful, and stimulating, then it is possible to customise the hoist track to match this.
Our hoist tracking can be powder-coated in a range of colours to make it feel less intimidating. We can also fit lights inside the track, which looks great!
So there are three things to think about if you’re designing hoists for children’s wards; the appearance, the weight limits, and the patient’s safety.
For any other queries or questions about specifying overhead hoist systems for children’s ward, get in touch with our team!
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