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 standard includes rehabilitation centres in class S and class I settings. Class I means inclusive use by people with specific needs. It does not mean a tougher or longer-lasting class above S. This accessibility role is why it matters here. SP, or semi professional, is a sales category. It is not a use class in this standard. A, B and C are accuracy classes for equipment that displays training data. They are not durability grades.
Use class S as the baseline. Specify class I for stations intended for patients with specific needs. Assess durability separately. Request evidence of steel thickness, bearing type and tested endurance cycles. Put warranty duration and spare-parts commitments in the contract.
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, SSR meant follow up and rehabilitation care. It was renamed SMR, or medical and rehabilitation care. Decrees 2022-24 and 2022-25 of 11 January 2022 introduced the change, effective from 1 June 2023. The physician specialty is PMR: physical and rehabilitation medicine, also the European term. Use the current terms in tenders.
This shows the health authority and unit director that the supplier understands the care framework. The reform also strengthens the role of adapted physical activity. It is expected within care planning. Size the technical platform to support 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.
Specify smooth surfaces without grooves that trap dirt. Upholstery should have an impermeable, high-frequency welded cover, with no exposed seams or through stitching. Choose baked epoxy or stainless frames compatible with the site’s disinfectants. Avoid exposed fabric and unprotected treated timber in the medical setting. Specify non-porous grips rather than rubber foam. Ask for chemical compatibility sheets covering the disinfectants used in the building. The infection control team needs these documents to validate the equipment.
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 suit many care domains. They offer a versatile, accessible form of exercise in a medical setting. A low step through seated bike makes transfers easier for patients with limited mobility. Add two or three guided machines with fine load settings. Include a safe matted area for floor and balance work.
Wall bars are also widely used and relatively low cost. Pilates reformers add partially unloaded work with measured spring resistance. They bridge the gap between elastic bands and loaded machines. If the building has a pool, professional aquabikes and aquatic equipment can extend the offer.
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.
Réalisations documentées
- Functional Rig inox – installations sur trois continents
- iGreenMill, tapis de course extérieur – installations sur trois continents
Sources et références
- Code du sport, articles R322-4 à R322-43 – garanties d’hygiène et de sécurité applicables aux établissements d’activités physiques et sportives (Légifrance)
- Code de la commande publique – texte intégral en vigueur (Légifrance)
- Direction des affaires juridiques, ministère de l’Économie – réglementation de la commande publique et fiches techniques
