Ski Sheet vs. WauK® board
1. Cost Comparison
• Cost comparison for evacuating 50 patients from a hospital or nursing home.
• Prices for the WauK® board and Ski Sheet are list prices.
• Prices for hospital bedding are based on quantity discount pricing available on the internet.
Ski Sheet | WauK® board | |||||
Item | Quantity | Unit Price | Total Cost | Quantity | Unit Price | Total Cost |
Ski Sheet | 50 | $190 | $9,500 | |||
Hospital mattress | 50 | $159 | $7,950 | |||
Hospital sheet | 50 | $6 | $300 | |||
Pillow and case | 100 | $31 | $3,100 | |||
WauK® board | 10 | $775 | $7,750 | |||
Patient strap sets | 10 | $40 | $400 | |||
Total | $20,850 | $8,150 | ||||
SAVINGS | $12,700 |
2. Feature Comparison
Issue | Ski Sheet | WauK® board | Comments |
Quantity required | One needed for every hospital bed that may require evacuation (it is pre-staged on the mattress prior to an emergency). | One needed for every 5 patients that require evacuation. | Fewer WauK® boards required for an evacuation plan. ** |
Additional Equipment | Requires use of the mattress and bedding along with the Ski Sheet for evacuation. | No additional equipment required. | The WauK® board does not require use of additional equipment. |
Tight Spaces | The width and length of a hospital mattress. | Only 17-1/2" wide and is taken upright during patient evacuation using the dolly function of the WauK® board. | The WauK® board fits through narrow doorways and small stairwells while the Ski Sheet requires a double door opening to allow for the width of the mattress. |
Capacity | 352 lbs (160 kgs) | 500 lbs (227 kgs) | The WauK® board has a greater capacity. |
Patient comfort | Not rigid. Patient is in awkward positions during evacuation ("J" like position when going from stair landing to steps). | Rigid (patient remains supine) | This is a major concern because the patient is placed in awkward positions on the Ski Sheet during evacuation (for example when going from stair landing to steps). |
Patient comfort | Patient feels the effect of going over steps and across the edge of a landing onto the next flight of steps. | Rigid (patient remains supine) | The WauK® board prevents patient discomfort because the patient is rolled down the steps, not dragged over the steps on a mattress. |
Tight space maneuvering | Large footprint because it is the length and width of a mattress and it remains horizontal throughout evacuation (through doorways, down stairs, on stair landings, etc.). | Small footprint; dolly feature allows it to be raised to an upright position (through doorways, on stair landings, etc.). | The WauK® board is easier to maneuver through tight spaces. |
Lifting by first responder | Much lifting with the back as well as the legs due to dragging patient thru hallways and down stairs. | Lifting primarily done with legs because the WauK® board is a dolly. | The WauK® board is more effective at preventing back injury because it is designed for the first responder to lift with their legs, not their back. |
Lifting by first responder | Dragging thru hallways much more difficult when carpet is involved such as in a nursing home. | Dolly like feature allows rolling over all surface types. | The WauK® board is more effective at preventing back injury because the patient is rolled rather than dragged across all surfaces. |
Cost | $190 ea. for every hospital bed at set up + the cost of 1 mattress + 1 sheet + 2 pillows | $775 ea. + $40 for straps | Total cost of the WauK® board is less than the total cost of Ski Sheets (five times as many Ski Sheets required; Ski Sheets require replacing mattresses used in evacuation). |
** The WauK® board is intended to be reused during an evacuation. The patient is transferred from the WauK® board to the ambulance gurney and the WauK® board is taken back upstairs for another evacuation.