ABSTRACT
There are approximately 1.2 million wheelchair users in England (Department of Health, 2004) with varying needs ranging from simple to complex. It has been reported that wheelchair users can spend up to 18 hours a day in their wheelchair thus increasing the risk for pressure ulcer development (Stockton & Parker, 2002). The cost of pressure ulcers in the UK is £1.4-£2.1 billion annually, amounting to 4% of the total UK NHS expenditure (Bennett et al., 2004). There are many different pressure cushions available on the market which can be used for varying risk levels in pressure care from low to high. The majority of these declare that the main benefit is the excellent pressure distribution qualities they possess. However, empirical evidence to support this is scarce with even less reporting on the issue of comfort. Most notably Stockton and Rithalia (2007) studied wheelchair users’perceptions of comfort using interface pressure, temperature and humidity measurements. One of the reasons for the dearth of literature regarding pressure distribution and comfort in cushions could be due to the fact that comfort is a subjective evaluation and lacks a validated assessment tool to address it. Conversely, recording pressure distribution is quite simple using one of the many devices commercially available, however confirming a link between these two concepts is more difficult. In other areas ergonomic research completed in car seat manufacturing supports the need for further investigations concluding that interface pressure is closely aligned to comfort (Fay and Brienza, 2002). Furthermore studies by Kyung and Nussbaum (2007) and Porter et al. (1999) suggest in their findings that there could be a
relationship between the two although evidence is currently inconclusive and more large-scale studies are required.
