Wheelchair scales for the RWU care laboratory

The company Kern & Sohn has donated a wheelchair scale to the RWU nursing laboratory. The contact with the Faculty of Social Work, Health and Nursing came about through a visit: In the spring of this year, Dr. Thilo Eith, deputy professor at RWU, went on an excursion to the company in Balingen with students from the Health Economics course.

Now in its eighth generation, Kern & Sohn is active in the field of precision mechanics and precision scale construction, and has also been active in the medical sector for around 25 years. "Such questions about successful market access are naturally interesting for us as a degree program at the interface between healthcare and business administration," says Thilo Eith.

"We are always looking for pioneers"

This contact has already resulted in student collaborations. "So it's naturally a pleasure for us to be able to support RWU's nursing laboratory with a personal scale like this," says Stephan Ade, who is responsible for sales and marketing at Kern & Sohn. A possible collaboration with RWU could also extend beyond the field of health economics into technical subjects in the future. "We are always looking for pioneers," says Ade.

Professor Dr. Jan-Marc Hodek thanked Kern & Sohn on behalf of the faculty. "We have developed considerably as a faculty in recent years and now offer seven degree courses. The nursing laboratory is also new. For all this, we also need the support and practical knowledge from the companies and institutions. The university thrives on partnerships," says Jan-Marc Hodek.

The new wheelchair scales in the care laboratory are worth 1,500 euros and can weigh people weighing up to 250 kilograms. It is used in hospitals, rehabilitation and care facilities. Depending on the model, there is also a direct interface to the patient file. "Our nursing students use it to practise getting patients out of bed or wheelchairs and onto the scales. This is a very accident-prone process," says Professor Dr. Maik H.-J. Winter, Head of the Nursing course at RWU and Head of the Institute for Gerontological Care and Nursing Research.