Hospital rehabilitation gym specification: use classes, hygiene and traceability
A hospital rehabilitation gym has to satisfy three specifications at once: professional fitness equipment compliance, medical requirements covering traceability, disinfection, therapeutic ergonomics and accessibility, and sustained intensive use over many years. Four requirements structure every choice: very low starting loads, very low minimum speeds, genuinely disinfectable surfaces, and consoles that produce data usable in the patient record. This guide sets out the specification framework we recommend to unit directors, physical and rehabilitation medicine consultants and hospital procurement teams.
The use class question, and a widespread error
The applicable standard for the fitness layer of a rehabilitation platform is EN ISO 20957-1. It defines use classes, and one of them is routinely misread in sector documentation.
| Class | What the standard actually says | Use in a rehabilitation platform |
|---|---|---|
| Class S | Professional and commercial use | The baseline for the whole platform |
| Class I | Professional use intended for inclusive use by people with specific needs | Specify on stations serving patients with specific needs |
| Class H | Domestic use | Has no place in a hospital technical platform |
The scope of the standard names rehabilitation centres explicitly among class S and class I environments. The confusion to avoid is the claim that class I is an institutional or heavy duty level above class S in robustness. It is not. Class I is an accessibility statement, not a longevity statement, and that is precisely what makes it relevant here. Two further clarifications: SP or semi professional is a commercial category, not a use class under this standard; and classes A, B and C are accuracy classes applying to equipment that displays training data, not durability grades.
The practical consequence is straightforward. Specify class S as the baseline and class I on the stations intended for patients with specific needs, then justify durability separately on verifiable mechanical and contractual criteria: steel thickness, bearing type, endurance cycles tested, parts warranty duration and a commitment on spare parts availability.
Two regulatory regimes that should not be confused
A rehabilitation platform contains equipment from two distinct regulatory worlds. Specifically medical equipment such as isokinetic dynamometers, therapeutic vibration platforms, robotic rehabilitation systems and exoskeletons falls under Regulation (EU) 2017/745 on medical devices, with its own conformity assessment and CE marking route. Professional fitness equipment falls under EN ISO 20957. Confusing the two regimes blocks procurement files unnecessarily in both directions: asking for medical device conformity on an exercise bike, or accepting a fitness standard on a diagnostic device.
Budget scale differs accordingly. An isokinetic dynamometer station runs to several tens of thousands of euros and is normally bought through specialist hospital procurement channels. The medically adapted fitness layer, covering adapted cardio, guided strength and functional work, is a separate and far smaller envelope, and it is the layer where exercise reconditioning and adapted physical activity actually happen.
Terminology, and why it matters in a tender
In France, the care activity formerly designated SSR, follow up and rehabilitation care, was renamed SMR, medical and rehabilitation care, by decrees 2022-24 and 2022-25 of 11 January 2022, in force from 1 June 2023. The specialty practised by the physicians is PMR, physical and rehabilitation medicine, which is the European designation as well. Using the current term in a tender document signals to the health authority and to the unit director that the supplier knows the framework in force. The reform matters for equipment on one specific point: it explicitly strengthens the place of adapted physical activity in the care pathway. Adapted physical activity is no longer an optional complement; it is expected in the organisation of care, and the technical platform has to be dimensioned for it.
Why the equipment is specific: four dimensions
User capability comes first. Patients are recovering from joint replacement or spinal surgery, from stroke, from cancer treatment or from cardiac events, or they carry age related multimorbidity. Equipment has to be usable at very reduced capacity: loads starting around 0.5 to 2.5 kg, very low minimum treadmill speeds, transfer possible from a wheelchair, a visible and reachable emergency stop, and supports and safety straps.
Use intensity comes second. An ergometer on a rehabilitation platform runs much of the day, six days a week, with a high throughput of different patients. This is among the most sustained duty cycles on the market, comparable to an institutional or military gym. Only professional class equipment survives it; domestic equipment is destroyed within months.
Traceability comes third. Rehabilitation sessions are care acts, documented in the electronic patient record and shared across physiotherapists, occupational therapists, adapted physical activity staff and the PMR consultant. A console that natively reports power in watts, heart rate, duration, load and repetitions supports that reporting directly. Purely analogue equipment forces manual re entry, which costs staff time and introduces errors. Check in the specification exactly which data are displayed and whether export is possible.
Disinfection comes fourth. Equipment must tolerate frequent disinfection with virucidal and bactericidal products, under protocols set by the hospital infection prevention team. Note that HPCI, frequently cited in French language documentation, is a Swiss framework; in France the bodies to name in a specification are the EOH operational hygiene team, the CLIN infection control committee and the regional CPias support centre. Elsewhere in Europe, name the equivalent infection prevention and control function.
The material criteria that follow are: smooth surfaces with no recesses or grooves trapping soiling; upholstery with impermeable high frequency welded covering, with no visible seams or through stitching; baked epoxy or stainless frames resistant to the disinfectants in use; no exposed fabric and no unprotected treated timber, both disqualifying in a medical setting; and non porous grips rather than rubber foam. Ask the supplier for material chemical compatibility sheets against the disinfectant families used in the building. That is the document the infection control team will request, and its absence stops validation.
Equipment by care domain
| Care domain | Rehabilitation objectives | Priority equipment |
|---|---|---|
| Musculoskeletal, after hip or knee replacement, spinal surgery | Range of motion, progressive strengthening, proprioception, return to walking | Semi recumbent bike, arm ergometer, treatment plinth, guided machines with fine load increments, unstable platforms, gridded mirrors, parallel bars |
| Neurological, after stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson, head injury | Motor reprogramming, balance, coordination, adapted endurance | Very low speed treadmill with harness, semi recumbent bike with backrest, balance platforms, matted area, dual task exercises |
| Cardiovascular, after infarction, heart failure, bypass | Phase II and III cardiac rehabilitation, endurance under telemetry | Semi recumbent bikes with heart rate monitoring, gentle incline treadmills, magnetic resistance rowers, watt calibrated ergometers |
| Respiratory, COPD, post viral, cystic fibrosis | Exercise reconditioning, functional capacity, breathlessness management | Calibrated ergometers, backrest bike, light global strengthening, low speed treadmill |
| Oncology and haemato oncology | Progressive reconditioning, fatigue management, muscle mass preservation | Semi recumbent bike, guided machines with very fine loads, low speed treadmill, light functional work |
| Geriatrics and multimorbidity | Falls prevention, maintaining independence, balance, lower limb strength | Low step through seated bike, unstable platforms, safe matted area, support rails, floor level agility circuit |
Semi recumbent bikes appear in almost every domain: they are the most versatile and most accessible ergometer in a medical setting. For patients with severely reduced mobility, a low step through seated bike makes transfer easier. Complete the platform with two or three guided machines offering fine load selection, a safe matted area for floor and balance work, and wall bars, one of the most used and least expensive items on any platform. Two additions remain underused: Pilates reformers, which give partially unloaded work with calibrated spring resistance, filling exactly the gap between an elastic band and a loaded machine; and, where the building has a pool, professional aquabikes and aquatic equipment.
Frequently asked questions
Is class I equipment more durable than class S?
No. Under EN ISO 20957-1, class I designates professional equipment intended for inclusive use by people with specific needs. It is an accessibility class, not a robustness class. Specify class S as the baseline for the whole platform and class I where accessibility requires it, and prove durability through steel thickness, bearings, endurance testing, warranty and spare parts commitments.
What starting load should guided machines offer?
Loads starting around 0.5 to 2.5 kg, with fine increments above that. Patients in early post operative or post stroke phases cannot use the increments designed for a commercial gym, and a machine whose first plate is already too heavy is unusable for a large part of the caseload.
Do fitness machines on a rehabilitation platform need medical device certification?
No, not as a rule. Professional fitness equipment falls under EN ISO 20957. Regulation (EU) 2017/745 applies to medical devices such as isokinetic dynamometers and robotic rehabilitation systems. Requiring medical device conformity on an ergometer, or accepting a fitness standard on a diagnostic device, both stall procurement.
What documents will the infection control team ask for?
Material chemical compatibility sheets covering the disinfectant families used in the building, plus confirmation of upholstery construction, frame finish and the absence of exposed fabric or unprotected timber. Request them at quotation stage rather than after delivery.
What lead times and warranties apply?
Light In Fitness returns quotations within 24 working hours and ships stock items in 5 to 10 working days, with warranties from 2 to 5 years depending on the range, and spare parts support through our after sales service.
Specify your rehabilitation platform
Send us your care domains, patient throughput, room dimensions and disinfection protocols, and we will return a station by station specification with use classes, load ranges and console data. Request a quote within 24 working hours, or see our rehabilitation gym equipment and Pilates reformers.
