Seat cushion comparison for nursing home wheelchair users

Finding solutions to the seating problems of nursing home wheelchair users is challenging due to the lack of data regarding the pressure-relieving and comfort performance of wheelchair cushions for this population. This study's goal was to determine whether commercially available seat cushions provide better pressure relief and comfort than do traditionally provided or "makeshift" cushions or pads. Using a repeated measures design, 21 nursing home wheelchair users were enlisted to help evaluate two traditionally provided or "makeshift" cushions or pads and two selected commercially available seat cushions. The peak sitting pressures for 20 subjects were recorded using an Oxford pressure monitor. Twenty-one subjects were asked to score the test cushions' comfort. Due to the somewhat surprising results for the traditionally provided eggcrate cushion, the results fell short of supporting our initial hypothesis. Nevertheless, the study did identify three cushions, the eggcrate, the gel/foam, and the foam, which provided significantly lower peak sitting pressure averages than those recorded for the mix of cushions and pads used by 50 residents in a previous survey. Select commercially available seat cushions can offer nursing home residents lower sitting pressures and increased comfort. Further investigation is required to assess the long-term performance of these and other seat cushions and to explore the predictive benefits of the statistically significant relationship identified between peak sitting pressure and comfort.