Authors (including presenting author) :
Lau HYA(1), Hung LK(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Prosthetic & Orthotic Department, Prince of wales Hospital, (2) Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Prince of Wales Hospital
Introduction :
The Wheelchair Bank (WCB) service has been providing highly customised positioning wheelchairs and seating systems to children suffering from severe neuromuscular and congenital diseases. They depend on the customized supporting and mobility devices to restore functions for daily activities, whilst WCB provides free loan to patients and recycles the wheelchairs for another patients in queue. Currently, only two staff from WCB are managing all technical works including hardware modification, maintenance, cleansing and disinfection to ensure patient safety. The wheelchair customisation process takes around 6 to 8 weeks to complete which delays the service lead time and occupies significant workspace. A new technical workflow was proposed and adapted a hospital-community collaboration approach with the application 3D technology.
Objectives :
A community based Non-Governmental Organization, which have more than 20 years of experience in wheelchair and seating system modification and maintenance, was invited to join this new technical approach. The WCB provided 10 different types of positioning wheelchairs and assessment tools. Patients were assessed and received the first fitting of the seating and mobility systems on the same day of first visit. Patient’s functional outcome could be evaluated immediately. The patient’s sitting posture, seating and wheelchair devices were measured using a 3D scanning to build a 3D model with precise dimension and colour. The technical partner can assess the online 3D model directly to obtain all necessary information for the system modification and fabrication. The whole seating and mobility system was delivered to our clinic for fitting and issue to patient.
Methodology :
The trial run of the new technical approach included 3 cases and wheelchairs. The virtual 3D measurement provided precise dimension and reference of the required system. Each 3D measurement took around 90 seconds to capture the size, type and the dimension of the seating and wheelchair system. The entire wheelchair modification and cleansing process was handled by the qualified technical workshop. The wheelchair storage space was reduced about 50% of the overall wheelchair pool. The wheelchair delivery lead time was reduced from 8 weeks to 2 weeks.
Result & Outcome :
The new technical approach of wheelchair bank service has adapted the model of hospital-community partnership to shorten the service lead time with the application technology. The technical burden could be allocated to appropriate community partner. Staff could concentrate on the provision of clinical assessment and provide quality treatment to patients.
