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Wheelchair Transport Essay

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Wheelchair transportation safety guide
Session 20 Wheelchair Seating Systems for Use in Motor Vehicles

For an individual who is unable to transfer to the vehicle seat, the wheelchair will be used as a seat for transportation.

A wheelchair equipped with securement points as specified by ANSI/RESNA WC-19 and anchored with ANSI/RESNA WC-18 complied wheelchair tie-down and occupant restraint systems(WTORS) will reduce the risk of severe injury during the motor vehicle accident.

A complete wheelchair seating system consists of a seat, back support & associated attachment hardware (e.g. head support) and postural support devices (e.g. pelvic belt anchorages, shoulder or upper torso belts). For an individual wheelchair user, he/she requires unique, …show more content…

This section aims at reviewing these guidelines and illustrating the requirement of various components that are commonly used to compose the wheelchair seating system in order to improve the confidence before one decide to install these components on the ANSI/RESNA WC-19 complied wheelchair …show more content…

Figure 1. Head support (Retrieved from Guidelines for Use of Secondary Postural Support Devices by Wheelchair Users During Travel in Motor Vehicles, 2006)

Anterior head support

TransSPOT(2010) writes that the anterior head support is not a recommended postural support device of wheelchair users for transportation use because of the occupants may suffer from a neck hyperextension injury in a frontal car crash.

If one is necessary to use this device or any form of forehead strap during transportation, Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Wheelchair Transportation Safety(2006) recommends that:
 It should be automatically release but at the lowest force exerted during a crash and still able to maintain effective head support purpose
 A soft neck collar that is independent of the wheelchair can be applied concurrently but not obstructing the airway like tracheostomy.
 Beware the forehead strap from slipping downward and tying to the user’s neck

Figure 2. Anterior head support (Retrieved from

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