Use of mobility aids in decubitus patients in selected facilities in The Czech Republic and Germany

Summary

The main aim of this research was to find out which mobility aids are used the most often by Czech and German nurses during decubitus patient rehabilitation.

Results:
Research shows that Czech nurses use mobility aids in care of decubitus patients more often than German nurses do. According to the German respondents, this fact is influenced by their relative lack of time. While in Germany mobility tools for self-help and rollators that should reduce social dependence after release from health care facility are used frequently, in the Czech Republic fixed walkers and under-arm crutches are used far more than the former tools, although they represent a risk of shoulder joint muscle paralysis.

Conclusions:
German health care facilities possess a sufficient amount of mobility aids that could be used but are often not used often in decubitus patient care. It can be presumed that if sufficient amount of mobility aids was available in Czech health care facilities the nurses would use them with the same frequency or even more often than their German counterparts.

Key words:
decubitus – mobility aids – Czech Republic – Germany