Checklist for the prescription of slings for the hemiplegic patient.

The wide variety of hemiplegic sling designs, the lack of a uniform approach to sling selection, and the paucity of research data in this area have tended to make prescribing a sling a subjective process. Based on clinical experience and a comprehensive literature review, the authors propose a checklist for examining hemiplegic slings. The Checklist, which includes 19 desirable and 4 undesirable characteristics of slings, provides a more objective basis for comparing sling designs, warns of potential hazards, and facilitates the thorough examination of hemiplegic slings. The uses and limitations of the Checklist are discussed.