Who doesn’t love a good recliner?
From weary healthcare professionals melting into a residential recliner at the end of a long shift or the dialysis patient settling into a medical recliner for life saving treatment, there is nothing like it.
Medical recliners have been a long-time staple in dialysis and oncology centers. More recently, medical recliners have found there way into emergency rooms, clinics, and ambulatory surgical centers in place of stretchers, when appropriate.
This article will explore medical recliners. Specifically, we will examine:
- What is a Medical Recliner?
- Difference Between a Medical Recliner and Medical Lift Chair
- Types of Medical Recliners
- Benefits of Medical Recliners
What is A medical Recliner?
Rarely are residential recliners suitable for the healthcare environment. Why is that?
Think about moving that big comfy residential recliner to vacuum or trying to clean the popcorn debris and spilled drink from the seat cushion. Now imagine moving or cleaning a recliner in a medical setting.
The big differences between residential and medical recliners are related to maneuverability and “cleanability”. Medical recliners are most often on casters for easy movement and feature durable, "sanitizable" upholstery for thorough and frequent cleaning.
Adjustable backs and arm heights and greater weight capacities also differentiate a medical recliner from a residential recliner.
Difference Between A Medical Lift Chair and Medical Recliner
Now that the difference between residential and medical recliners has been established, we need to address one more medical recliner distinction – the difference between Medical Lift Chairs and Medical Recliners.
Unfortunately, the two terms are often used interchangeably despite a very big difference in how they operate.
Both feature backrests and leg rests that can be raised and lowered. Medical Lift chairs, however, have the added feature of slowly rising off their base to a 35-degree angle to help a person stand.
Lift chairs are classified as medical devices, medical recliners are not.
Types of Medical Recliners
Like most things these days, there is a broad range of medical recliners available for a variety of purposes.
Here is a summary, of common types of medical and hospital recliners:
Treatment Recliners
These simple yet functional medical recliners are designed for short term use, examinations or infusion treatments for example. Often sporting a basic style, these recliners are commonly found in dialyses and oncology centers as well as in medical settings catering to the elderly.
Senior Living and Long-Term Care Recliners
Looking a bit more like a residential recliner, long term care medical recliners are designed for senior living and nursing home environments.
These medical recliners will usually rock or glide for added comfort. To help seniors get in and out of the chair, the seats are typically smaller than other healthcare recliners.
Although there may be fewer customizable features available for senior living and long-term care medical recliners, be sure to ask about space-saving chairs that can open to a full recline despite being placed only 5 inches from a wall.
Patient Room Recliners
Patient room medical recliners offer the most in terms of customization. From aesthetically pleasing commercial grade upholstery, to mobility, heated seats, and IV pole attachments these recliners offer a broad range of custom features and accessories.
As the name suggests, patient room medical recliners are most often found in patient rooms. In some medical settings these recliners are used to transport a patient to other locations within the healthcare facility.
Because these chairs are in almost continuous use, most manufacturers will offer replacement backrests, seats, and footrests.
Trendelenburg Recliners
These medical recliners allow a caregiver to quickly tilt the chair back far enough to elevate a patient’s feet above their head in an emergency.
Bariatric Recliners
To be classed as a bariatric medical recliner, these chairs must feature wider seats, a limited incline for the safety of both patient and caregivers and are constructed to support weights of 750 pounds or more.
Pediatric Recliners
Pediatric medical recliners are designed specifically for children and as such are smaller to accommodate a child more comfortably. These recliners are commonly equipped to support gaming systems.
Since not all recliners are created equal or appropriate for all medical settings consider the answers to the following questions before placing that medical recliner order with your medical equipment distributor.
- Who is your typical patient?
- Does your typical patient have special requirements for seating?
- Will procedures or treatments be performed while the patient is in the recliner?
- What accessories are required for your healthcare environment?
- Will the medical recliner be stationary or mobile?
Visit the CME website to browse a large selection of medical recliners.
Benefits of Medical Recliners
Medical recliners are helping to improve efficiency and patient safety in healthcare facilities.
Features like side access and height adjustability offer greater safety for the patient accessing the chair. While available accessories like IV pole mounts offer patients the freedom to safely sit up in a chair while still receiving necessary medications and fluids.
The benefits of medical recliners extend to a patient’s well-being as well. They offer,
- Better Circulation
- Lumbar Support
- Pain Relief
- Stress Relief
While stretchers will never be replaced entirely, medical recliners are becoming the go-to for many healthcare facilities. They offer the benefit of greater comfort for the patient and while minimizing back straining patient handling for caregivers when it comes time to safely transport a patient within the healthcare facility.
CME Corp. Can Help You Choose Right Medical Recliner
CME can help you select the most versatile medical recliner and keep you on budget, without sacrificing comfort, quality, or durability.
Click CHAT to start a conversation with a CME expert about your medical recliner needs.
We have over forty years of experience helping healthcare facilities source quality equipment, providing turnkey logistics services, and building a nationwide team of Biomedical Equipment Technicians. In that time CME has become the premier medical equipment distributor for the United States.
In addition to providing medical equipment to healthcare facilities and hospital systems across the United States, we hold several several key government contracts available to DoD, VA, Indian Health and other federal health facilities. These contracts include DoDECAT, DoDDAPA, GSA, and VA FSS. Our relationship with select SDVOSB companies allows us to to offer quoting options for purchases above the micro-purchase threshold and Open Market products.
Direct-To-Site Logistics and Delivery Services
In addition to delivering bulky or heavy medical recliners fully assembled when it is convenient for your staff and clients, our Direct-to-Site services can help take the stress out of managing delivery orders from several manufactures with CME360, our proprietary logistics management platform.
Biomedical Services
CME’s Biomedical Equipment Technicians are available to perform annual maintenance to help extend the services life of your medical recliner and setup asset tagging to help you keep track of your investment.
About CME: With two corporate offices and 35+ service centers, CME Corp is the nation’s only equipment focused medical equipment distributer. We are the premier source for more than 2 million healthcare equipment products, from more than 2,000 manufacturers.
Our Turnkey logistics and biomedical services allow us to help healthcare facilities nationwide reduce the cost of the equipment they purchase, make their equipment selection, and schedule delivery, installation, and maintenance without impacting patient care. From medical equipment purchases to renovations and new facility construction CME Corp is your partner for seamless capital medical equipment purchases, delivered on time and in budget.
