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Improve Safety During Spinal Blocks

by sphmedicaladmin

According to MedlinePlus, a trusted online resource for up-to-date information related to diseases and a host of wellness issues, a spinal block is commonly prescribed to patients undergoing genital, urinary tract, or other lower body medical procedures. They are also prescribed to pregnant women, in addition to epidural anesthesia, before they are due to give birth in a hospital’s labor and delivery unit. Also known as spinal anesthesia, a spinal block is a type of neuraxial regional anesthesia that involves injecting a local anesthetic or opioid directly into the subarachnoid space to block pain signals that would otherwise travel to the brain. Spinal blocks do a terrific job of keeping pain at bay so that patients can get through a needed medical procedure. But they can sometimes pose a danger to patients and medical teams alike. Improving safety during spinal blocks can be done with an epidural chair or epidural positioning device.

Safety During Spinal Blocks: The Dangers They Pose to Patients and Medical Teams Alike

Studies show that spinal blocks can increase a patient’s chances of experiencing low blood pressure, meningitis or abscess, hematomas, difficulty urinating, seizures, and headaches. As far as medical teams are concerned, many suffer musculoskeletal injuries due to lifting, repositioning, or catching falling patients that have received spinal blocks. Most of these injuries involve back pain and back strain that is so severe that many say they can’t work for a few days following their injury. To further put this into perspective, in 2016, the 8,730 days-away-from-work cases filed by hospitals involved medical teams that suffered musculoskeletal injuries while tending to patients in a hospital’s surgery department or labor and delivery unit. An epidural positioning device (EPD), such as an epidural chair, could have helped medical teams in these hospitals avoid many of these injuries, as well as improve safety during spinal blocks and epidurals.

How an Epidural Chair Can Help Improve Hospital Safety

Manually positioning or moving patients from one location to another is the leading cause of injuries among nurses, operating room technicians, and anesthesiologists involved in treating the roughly 324,000 patients who receive spinal blocks each year. These injuries have motivated many hospitals to invest heavily in medical assistive devices to improve patient handling and lower the rate of injuries among hospital workers. One such device is the epidural chair. Also known as an epidural positioning device or an EPD, epidural chairs support the arms, head, chest, and feet of patients receiving spinal blocks. The support they provide minimizes the risk of falls and makes it much easier to transport patients from one location to another as needed for their medical treatments. Studies show that hospitals that use epidural chairs file fewer day-away-from-work cases than those that do not.

Conclusion

Whether we are discussing safety in a hospital’s surgery department or its labor and delivery unit, EPDs should be part of that discussion. And this is because they make epidural pain relief via spinal blocks easier and markedly safer for everyone involved.

SPH Medical EPD Adjust the chest support cushion
CategoriesPatient Handling

Avoid Manual Patient Handling During Spinal Blocks

by sphmedicaladmin

Epidurals are given to patients across many departments within the hospital setting. Most people know that women often receive them during labor, but there are many other times a patient can benefit from a spinal block, including: epidural pain relief, an alternative to general anesthesia, and to combat chronic pain. Yet, as common as the practice is, many healthcare workers in a labor and delivery unit or a surgery department who perform manual patient handling are at risk for injury. Oftentimes, patients who are in need of an epidural are in pain, nervous, nauseous, or confused. Nurses have reported even being physically attacked or bitten by patients during an epidural.

In this state, it is hard to manually control positioning and account for patient movement. They might not understand the directions properly or be able to hold the position, which means that several healthcare workers have to use their entire body weight to keep the patient in place.

In addition to patient concerns, the tables or beds where the procedure is performed are also not ideal for patient or healthcare safety, such as bed side tables that don’t lock, stacks of pillows, chairs with wheels. All of these issues accumulate for risky manual patient handling for the patient and their nurses or anesthesia technician.

Improving Healthcare Safety with an Epidural Positioning Device

An EPD or epidural positioning device is designed to promote the best possible optimal spinal flexion in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spines for proper needle insertion. It also makes the procedure a lot safer then when it’s just performed with manual patient handling.

Even before considering the risks of performing a spinal block without an epidural chair, nurses are one of the most at-risk professionals in any industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurses are injured at a rate of 46% compared to 34% elsewhere.

Manual Patient Handling and The Need for The Epidural Chair

The epidural chair directly minimizes this risk of injury for any labor and delivery unit or surgery department because it positions and holds patients automatically without the need for any special maneuvering or exertion on the healthcare provider. According to the Center for Disease Control, there is evidence-based research showing that replacing manual patient handling can significantly reduce the rate of nursing injury.

Patients see the benefit of the EPD as well. An article in the International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia, patient comfort was significantly higher using an epidural chair, with over 90% of patients preferring the epidural positioning device to the historic manual positioning and holding. The EPD is a win-win scenario for patients and healthcare workers trying to deliver epidural pain relief because it is more comfortable, easy to use, and safer. For more information on epidural positioning devices contact us at SPHMedical.

CategoriesPatient Handling

Benefits of Early Patient Mobility

by sphmedicaladmin

According to a study published by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, early patient mobility significantly improves patient outcomes. In the study, Dale M. Needham, M.D., Ph.D., the university’s lead researcher, notes that patients who spend less time in bed and start rehabilitation sooner are less likely to suffer from muscle weakness, physical impairments, or mental illness than those who do not. Another study published by the National Institutes of Health revealed that patients who spend less time in their hospital beds are also less likely to suffer from the following:

  • Pressure ulcers (bedsores)
  • Blood clots
  • Pneumonia
  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs)

While we could easily say that these health problems can be avoided by not spending less time in bed, we must also acknowledge that getting out of one’s bed and engaging in physical activity doesn’t come easy for some hospital patients.

Why Some Hospital Patients Are Bedridden

All hospitals are acutely aware of the issues that stem from allowing patients to stay in bed too long. But not all of them have a safe patient handling program that makes it easy for patients with neurological conditions, infections, and vitamin deficiencies, all of which can cause muscle weakness, to get out of bed when they want to or even have to for medical reasons. The same can be said of many other health problems as well.

What Hospitals Are Doing to Promote Early Patient Mobility

To promote early patient mobility and, as a byproduct of doing so, minimize the risk of many health problems correlated with being bedridden for too long, a lot of hospitals employ safe patient handling programs to ambulate patients.  These programs consist of trained medical teams and assistive mobility devices that help get patients moving.  And this could mean lifting, repositioning, or transferring them from one department to another.  Likewise, it could mean getting them out of bed to exercise so they can avoid many of the health problems mentioned earlier in this article.  And it does not end there; several evidence based studies show the combination of highly trained medical teams and assistive mobility devices can also offer the following benefits to long-term hospital patients:

  • Improved cardiac function
  • Improved muscle mass
  • Improved respiratory function
  • Minimizing the risk of delirium commonly associated with being bedridden

Why Many Hospitals Are Choosing the SPH Medical Rowalker

Safe Patient Mobility with SPH Medical RoWalker

There are many devices that hospitals can use to ambulate patients, but many are choosing to go with the SPH Medical Rowalker.  Along with getting patients up and moving, these devices can carry just about everything they might need while in a hospital.  Also referred to as an ambulation device or a platform walker, the SPH Medical Rowalker is capable of carrying the following:

  • An oxygen tank
  • An IV pole
  • A cardiac monitor
  • A portable ventilator

Early Patient Mobility, The Bottom Line

Because they help patients stand, walk, and feel a little more independent, it is easy to see why many hospitals have made the Rowalker by SPH Medical their ambulation device of choice. Of course, the ability of these devices to lower a patient’s chances of developing blood clots, UTIs, pneumonia, and much more is just icing on the proverbial cake. To learn more about the Rowalker by SPH Medical, consider speaking with one of our associates today.

Safety During Thoracentesis using the EPD
CategoriesPatient Handling

Patient and Staff Safety Improved During Thoracentesis

by sphmedicaladmin

What Is Thoracentesis?

A doctor who performs thoracentesis uses a syringe or needle-catheter device to remove excess fluid surrounding the lungs. Congestive heart failure and pneumonia are among the conditions that can cause fluid to accumulate in the pleural space, causing pain and shortness of breath. After a sonographer locates the best insertion point for the needle, a doctor drains fluid to relieve pressure between the pleural membranes and the chest wall. Unfortunately, medical professionals can risk injury when they position, turn, or hold the patient steady during the procedure. This puts the staff an patient at risk of injury during the procedure. Healthcare Works and nursing staff are calling for safety improved during Thoracentesis.

During medical procedures that expose the back or spine, it’s not unusual for a patient to sit on a bed, chair, or stool while resting their head and arms on a table. Sometimes the patient will lean forward on pillows that are comfortable but unsteady. Furniture that lacks locking mechanisms can slide or tip over, causing the patient or their handler to collide with equipment, slip, or fall. Nursing staff can suffer back injuries or musculoskeletal disorders from the physical strain of manually handling patients day-to-day.

How the Epidural Positioning Device Benefits Hospital Staff and Patients

Over the past ten years, hospitals have reduced the potential for nursing injury and accidents by introducing evidence-based safe patient handling programs, guidelines, and devices. These measures decrease the number of situations that require staff to lift, push, pull, or perform prolonged static holds on any patient. Many states also require hospitals to follow patient handling laws. Special equipment, like the epidural positioning device (EPD), has been key to reducing injury and liability.

The EPD, also called an epidural positioner or epidural chair, was created to promote ideal spinal flexion and hold patients steady during a spinal block. The EPD positions patients properly, comfortably, and securely during thoracic, cervical, and lumbar procedures. The device is mounted on an LDS base, and the upper part can be attached to an operating table with universal clamps. The epidural positioner accommodates a variety of body types and sizes. Its foot support, arm rests, chest support, face rest cushion, and height are adjustable.

Safety Improved During Thoracentesis with the EPD

Although the EPD is sometimes called an epidural chair, the patient actually sits on a hospital bed while the device is in use. A staff member can roll the device over to face the patient and lock the EPD in position with ease. Then the patient can lean forward slightly while resting their face, arms, chest, and feet on their respective supports. Once the patient is properly positioned, doctors and clinicians are free to perform thoracentesis without strain or worry. EPDs save time and labor costs while making medical procedures easier and more comfortable. The support they provide is imperative so that we can start seeing patient and staff safety improved during thoracentesis.

SPH Medical SPU Air Transfer Mattress
CategoriesPatient Handling

Solving the Injury Puzzle, Injuries to Healthcare Workers

by sphmedicaladmin

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many injuries to healthcare workers are from overexerting themselves when manually lifting, transferring, or repositioning patients in hospitals. And for many of those hospital workers, overexertion leads to musculoskeletal injuries. This began the search for solving the injury puzzle. In reaching this conclusion, the CDC pulled data from a study published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In that 2014 study, researchers revealed the overexertion rate among hospital workers was around 68 per 10,000 full-time employees.

Repositioning to Injuries to Healthcare Workers: Why They Happen and What Hospitals Are Doing to Prevent Them

Musculoskeletal injuries happen when hospital workers lift or otherwise reposition patients without using assistive equipment, and they often result in severe back pain or back strain. Although patient repositioning is to blame for many of them, most musculoskeletal injuries come from lateral transfer maneuvers. For those not aware, lateral transfers are the most dangerous patient-handling tasks performed in hospitals today, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

When it comes to lateral transfers, poor patient-handling ergonomics and pushing, pulling or lifting patients without the aid of assistive equipment explain why many healthcare workers in U.S. hospitals suffer injuries every year. For reference, a study published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that work-related musculoskeletal injuries were around 46 cases per 10,000 registered nurses in 2016; and a large percentage of those made up the over 8,730 days-away-from-work cases filed that year. Because patient transfers and repositioning, sometimes referred to as “boosting up in bed,” cases involving nurses and other hospital workers have been trending for some time now, many hospitals are investing in high-tech equipment to help keep them safe.

How Air Transfer Systems Improve Efficiency and Keep Hospital Workers Safe

Available data shows many hospitals previously performed lateral transfers by pulling patients from their beds and onto a gurney via a draw sheet or sliding board. This transfer method is physically taxing and dangerous for everyone involved. Mindful of this, many hospitals today are abandoning the process and are opting to use air transfer systems instead. These systems are helping to lower the number of injuries to healthcare works are involving patient transfers that hospitals file each year, and they make the “boosting up in bed” ritual that nurses perform on patients a bit easier. One of the air transfer systems that many hospitals use today is the SPH Medical Air Transfer System and the SPH Medical single-patient-use Air Transfer Mat.

What Everyone Should Know About Single-Patient-Use Transfer Mats

Transporting patients to the ICU, ER, surgery, imaging, or any other department in a hospital is much easier with single-patient-use transfer mats. These inflatable mats go underneath the patient, and once filled with air, they allow healthcare workers to “float” patients from one surface to another. Single-patient-use transfer mats can accommodate nearly any body weight or body type, and they require only minimal hands-on involvement which intern reduces risk of injuries to healthcare workers. And because they are single-use devices, they also minimize any potential spread of infections throughout the hospital. Lastly, since they are inflatable, single-patient use transfer mats can be deployed quickly if an emergency transfer becomes necessary. The SPH Medical Single Patient Use Air Mattress is compatible with most air supplies already in hospitals today.

Single Patient Use Air Transfer Mat

Bottom Line

In summary, air transfer systems, including single-patient-use transfer mats, can improve efficiency and safety in hospitals, both for patients and healthcare workers.

CategoriesPatient Handling

Safely Position Patients with the EPD

by sphmedicaladmin

The Use of the EPD for Patient Positioning During Spinal Blocks and Other Procedures

There are risks associated with any surgery, but patients are not the only ones who should keep that in mind. Healthcare workers in a surgery department or labor and delivery unit at a hospital should also bear this in mind, especially those who administer spinal blocks or provide patients with epidural pain relief before surgery. These assertions mirror those found in multiple studies that examine the use of pain-blocking modalities administered to patients in hospitals and other medical settings. One of those studies comes from the National Institutes of Health, the primary agency for conducting and supporting medical research in the U.S. The study found that not safely position patients and manually holding patients so that they can receive a spinal block or another type of pain-blocking injection can put medical teams at risk of developing a musculoskeletal disorder.

This type of injury often occurs when nurses, anesthesiologists, and other medical professionals have to catch patients who start to fall after having received a spinal block or undergoing epidural pain relief. In addition to musculoskeletal disorders, getting patients into position to be injected with a pain-blocking injection often leaves many caregivers struggling with lower and upper back pain and even neck pain. That said, it is worth noting that such injuries occur far less frequently when caregivers use an epidural positioning device (EPD) to help them move a patient into an optimal position to receive their much-needed pain-blocking injection, or when the imaging department uses the EPD to position patients comfortably for Thoracentesis.

How Current Patient Positioning Methods Lead to Injuries

Having established there are inherent risks that come with safely position patients into a position to receive a spinal block or another pain-blocking modality before they undergo surgery, let’s discuss how using an EPD can help keep medical teams safe. Medical teams in most hospitals and other medical facilities will typically use inflatable pillows and ordinary chairs and stools to get patients into position to receive a pain-blocking injection before their surgery. This haphazard approach often leaves patients and their caregivers susceptible to multiple injuries.

How Investing in an Epidural Positioning Device Leads to a Safer Surgery Department and Labor and Delivery

To appreciate how an epidural chair or similar epidural positioning device keeps medical teams safe, it helps to know a little more about what they do.  An epidural chair, either the non powered version or the electric version, makes it easier for medical teams to move patients into a seated position that optimizes spinal flexion throughout the entire spine.  This seated position that allows for optimized spinal flexion makes it easier for an anesthesiologist to correctly and safely inject patients with pain-blocking medication.  And since these devices require less hands-on involvement relative to moving patients into position, anesthesiologists and their supporting staff are less likely to suffer injuries.

Bottom Line

EPDs can improve patient and medical team safety in both a hospital’s operating room, imaging department, and its labor and delivery unit. That alone makes them worth the investment. To learn more about these revolutionary medical devices, consider speaking with one of our knowledgeable associates today.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3964150/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7754151/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11682426/

The SPH Medical EPD improves safety for Spinal positioning
CategoriesPatient Handling

Using an EPD for Patient Positioning During Spinal Blocks

by sphmedicaladmin

Most medical professionals who take part in orthopedic surgery say an epidural positioning device (EPD) significantly improves safety and comfort for patients getting a subarachnoid block and then undergoing orthopedic surgery. To better understand why they feel this way, it helps to know a little more about subarachnoid blocks and the type of orthopedic surgeries in which they are most beneficial. Using the epidural positioning chair for patient positioning during spinal blocks helps the nursing staff as well as the patient.

Why an Epidural Positioning Device Might Be Necessary Before and Even After a Subarachnoid Block

So that everyone is on the same page, a subarachnoid block, also known as a spinal block, is a general anesthesia alternative capable of producing an intense sensory, motor, and sympathetic blockade that keeps pain at bay.  The process entails injecting an anesthetic or opioid directly into the subarachnoid space via a fine needle.  These injections go into the patient’s back and leave them feeling numb from the waist down, making them ideal for orthopedic surgery involving the legs, hips, knees, and ankles.  The effects of a subarachnoid block can last from 2 to 4 hours.  That said, problems can arise when patients are left numb from the waist down after receiving a subarachnoid block injection.  To minimize the risk of patients falling when they have to transition from one location to another, medical staff will have to manually hold and support them, which requires a reasonable degree of counter pressure.  But even still, falls do happen.  And sometimes, both the patient and medical personnel end up suffering injuries as a result.

The Dangers in Patient Positioning During Spinal Blocks

According to a study published by the National Institutes of Health, the subarachnoid block or spinal block is the most widely practiced anesthesia technique used in surgeries involving the lower extremities, including orthopedic surgeries. In 2017, around 22 million Americans underwent orthopedic surgery of some kind. By the end of 2022, a projected 28 million will have undergone orthopedic surgery, according to a Globe Newswire study. Some of the nurses and anesthesia technicians involved in these surgeries either already have or eventually will suffer injuries due to not using an EPD, with falls, back strain, or both being to blame for the vast majority of them.

How Does the EPD Help for Patient Positioning During Spinal Blocks and Surgical Procedures?

First and foremost, EPDs are not limited to nurses and anesthesia technicians in a surgery department alone.  They can come in handy during post-surgery when patients are still in pain or find it difficult to move certain limbs.  Even in a surgery department, nurses and anesthesia technicians use them for non-orthopedic surgeries.  It is not uncommon to see them used before and after most surgeries involving a patient’s lower extremities.  EPDs can also come in handy in a labor and delivery unit to help move women from one location to another after childbirth, especially if they received epidural pain relief beforehand.  Whether in a surgery department, labor and delivery unit, or elsewhere in a medical setting, all EPDs work more or less the same.  They allow medical staff to position patients correctly and comfortably to facilitate cervical, thoracic and lumbar flexion.

To that end, the benefits of EPD, also known as an epidural chair, are as follows:

  • Can accommodate various patient body types
  • Can support patients weighing up to 600 lbs
  • Keeps patients who are dizzy or otherwise uncoordinated due to an epidural from falling
  • Allows nurses and other medical staff members time to tend to more pressing tasks

Bottom Line

Helping a patient get into a new position, especially when epidural pain relief is involved, can be challenging and dangerous.  Using EPDs or epidural chairs can make life easier, not to mention safer, for everyone involved.

CategoriesPatient Handling

Solving Patient Handling Injuries With Air

by sphmedicaladmin

While working in a hospital can be a very rewarding career, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your own personal health to live it. Common nursing injuries happen from performing patient repositioning tasks and lateral transfers every day. These patient handling injuries are completely avoidable when the appropriate equipment is routinely accessible and available for hospital staff members to use.

What Are Air Assisted Transfer Systems?

Air assisted transfer systems have been around for some time now and are found in most major hospitals and healthcare systems.  They are essentially an inflatable mattress that allows air to escape through tiny holes on the underside that create a thin cushion of air to reduce friction and float the patient. Whenever you need to do a lateral transfer or even reposition a patient in their bed, you can simply inflate the mattress with air. This helps to boost the patient off the surface of the bed and allows for easy sliding of the mattress from one surface to another or simply further up to the head of the bed. While variations of these air assisted transfer systems are produced by other medical companies, SPH Medical offers the breathable Single Patient Use Air Transfer Mattress.

The SPH Medical Single Patient Use Air Transfer Mattress

The SPH Medical Single Patient Use Air Transfer Mattress is specifically designed to help make lateral transfers and repositioning effortless for both nursing staff and patients alike. Compliant with Safe Patient Handling Programs and Policies, this disposable transfer mat greatly works to reduce the risk of hospital infections and cross-contamination. Additionally, it helps to reduce the amount of laundry your hospital must clean. No longer will you have to run short on lateral transfer supplies for days or even weeks. With Single Patient Use Air Transfer Mattresses, you can always have a ready-to-go supply for when your patients need them.

Greatly Reduce Patient Handling Injuries

With nursing shortages becoming the norm, having nurses out due to patient handling injuries can further wear down those on staff. Air assisted transfer mats greatly help to reduce the amount of effort it takes for the nursing staff to move patients. Unlike draw sheet or sliding board transfers, air transfer mats minimize friction to make every transfer or repositioning attempt safe for everyone. When you’re able to utilize these air powered transfer systems, you can help drastically eliminate many manual patient handling tasks. Instead of worrying about potentially undergoing a repositioning injury, you can focus more on patient care. And these single use mattresses are specifically designed to be breathable so they can be utilized under total care patients for extended periods of time.

CategoriesPatient Handling

The Use of The EPD for Patient Positioning

by sphmedicaladmin

The use of the EPD for patient positioning during spinal blocks and other procedures

To assist in enhancing patient and staff safety, a distinguished anesthesiologist created the first Epidural Positioning Device (EPD) over two decades ago. The EPD is currently the gold standard for positioning devices used by hospital’s surgery department and surgical personnel all around the globe.

The epidural device aids in the safe positioning of patients while also lowering the risk of musculoskeletal disorders to healthcare workers.  The epidural chair is most often used to position a patient for an epidural placement.  Still, it is effective in situating patients securely for a range of medical procedures by promoting optimal lumbar, thoracic, and cervical flexion, offering several advantages for both patients and caregivers.

Manually moving and positioning patients for an epidural is usually done by having a patient lean over an unstable bedside table, stacked with pillows and a chair or stool to support their feet. A nurse or nurse assistant would first position the patient at the side of the bed or table, place their feet on a chair or stool, then bring over the bedside table that doesn’t lock, and stack pillows on the table so the patient can lean forward on the pillows. This approach is insecure and unstable since the table could move, pillows may easily slip out of place, and the set height of the chair or stool is inconvenient for certain people.  The nurse is challenged to hold onto the patient and the table so nothing moves.

On the other hand, the EPD, or Epidural Chair as it often known, has a stable lockable base. It’s adjustable to accommodate patients of all sizes.  The vertical height adjustment, foot platforms, arm rests, and face rest cushion allow each patient to be placed in the most comfortable position possible for the treatment.  The chest cushion promotes the optimal spinal flexion.  Now with the use of the EPD the patient is in a secure and safe position to avoid any movement during needle insertion,

In the past the nurse or nursing assistant would often maintain the patient’s position while supporting part of their body weight. To make matters worse, patients are anxious, unpredictable, often in pain, occasionally drugged, and may move unexpectedly, placing the nurse in danger. These extended static holds, and counter pressure tasks have been highlighted as high risk by leading hospital ergonomic teams, who have tried to rethink the Epidural and Spinal Block Placement procedures to eliminate the manual patient handling components due to the predictable nature of daily routine. The positioning device was created to address these concerns.

Benefits of the Epidural Positioning Device

  • Mitigates Risk of Complications
    There is a considerable risk of complication due to the patients’ sudden movement during spinal blocks and epidural treatments. Caregivers have been using their body and manual handling to keep the patient in the proper position for these procedures which is often unstable.  Patients are prone to moving involuntarily during the procedure which may lead to inaccurate needle placement. A solid ergonomic positioning option such as the epidural positioning device provides the spinal flexion needed and the stability required to provide a smooth and accurate procedure.
  • Eliminates Risk of Injury
    Nurses and caregivers physically position patients for epidural placements in labor and delivery units all day, every day.  Nurses also prepare patients for Spinal Blocks in preoperative settings and operating rooms.  Sonographers, or ultrasound techs, are also positioning patients in the imaging department for Thoracentesis.  In most cases, the caregiver must use their arms and body to maintain a steady grip on the table, stool, and patient during the treatment.

Assisting the patient in maintaining a flexed spinal posture puts the nurse or helper in danger of suffering a musculoskeletal injury. Hospital ergonomic experts have documented that repetitive static holds, especially with awkward body posture, may also lead to injury. This old fashioned way of doing things has resulted in predictable strains, sprains, and workplace injuries.  The EPD solves these issues and provides a standardized and efficient process that improves nursing and caregiver safety while avoiding the high risk tasks of manually holding and supporting the patient.

Improves Patient’s Comfort and Satisfaction

According to recent research, patient comfort was greatly improved when the EPD was used instead of flexion alone for pregnant women having an epidural. It was also discovered that needle placement would be easier if the patient was more comfortable.

Labor and delivery unit, general surgery, operating rooms, anesthesia, radiology, and pain management clinics are all places where EPDs are now standard. Epidurals, spinal blocks, and thoracentesis procedures are all performed using the EPD. Every medical institution must make every effort to keep patients safe and comfortable while preventing harm to nurses. EPDs put patients in the best possible position to enable the anesthesiologist to do their best work.  The Epidural Chair helps keep patients in position while the needle placement occurs by creating a solid, stable, and pleasant environment.

The device was developed to provide ideal spinal flexion and access to the lumbar, thoracic and cervical areas, but it has recently gained popularity for supporting patients during thoracentesis procedures.  The imaging department is generally involved with “thora’s” as they prepare the patient and locate the ideal spot on the rib cage to prepare for the treatment.  They have also been using the unstable bedside table for positioning and a stool.  Now with the EPD patients are easily positioned in a comfortable position to enable the pulmonologist to insert the catheter to drain excess fluid from the pleural space.

Patients benefit from the secure feeling and comfort provided by the epidural patient positioning device. When the patient is properly positioned with the EPD, the caregiver doesn’t have to rely on their arms, shoulders, and hands to keep them in the best posture for the treatment.  These advantages significantly minimize the risk of staff injuries and complications during epidurals, spinal blocks and thora’s.

Single Patient Use Air Transfer Mattress
CategoriesPatient Handling

Repositioning Injuries in Hospitals

by sphmedicaladmin

Healthcare workers are at risk for injuries such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) when performing manual patient transfers. According to recent studies, over 95% of nurses, report having some form of MSD or repositioning injuries during their careers. In 2021, there were a combined 18,090 missed days of work in the U.S. due to the disorder.

Low Back pain is the most common complaint among healthcare workers. This injury is brought on by the repeated stress of lifting patients manually. A few key examples include:

  • Transferring a patient from a bed to a stretcher
  • Lifting a patient from a supine position
  • Repositioning a total-care patient
  • Lateral transfer before and after surgery
  • Transferring the same patient several times per day

While repositioning injuries can occur at the precise time of a lateral transfer, chronic back and shoulder pain most often affects healthcare professionals. It is often the cumulative trauma from these repetitive tasks that leads to the eventual injury. In addition, current labor shortages mean longer hours, further compounding the problem. Also, due to an ongoing growth of the obesity epidemic in the U.S., patients are becoming increasingly heavier.

The SPH Medical Single Patient Use Air Transfer Mattress solves this problem by using a cushion of air under an inflated mattress. It helps reduce the patient’s weight, similar to how the buoyancy of water does. The result is a simple assisted lifting device that does most of the work for you.

There are other transfer devices available that can assist with repositioning and lateral transfers including patient  lifts. However, the SPH Medical Single Patient Use Transfer Mat comes with these added benefits:

  • Fully disposable and simple to use
  • Reduces cross-contamination
  • Reduces the need for laundering and subsequent loss
  • Reduces the risk of a nursing injury
  • Fewer missed days from work

In addition, SPH Single Patient Use Transfer Mats are easier to implement because:

  • The inventory is easier to manage
  • They do not require laundering
  • Single patient use cuts down on infections and cross-contamination
  • They provide a cost-effective solution for hospitals and clinics
  • Each transfer mat is made from a quality, breathable material so it can stay under a patient for extended periods

If you or others on your healthcare team suffer from repositioning injury due to your current patient transfer protocols, it may be time for a new strategy. Please visit SPH Medical for more information on how you and your fellow healthcare providers can benefit from the SPH Medical Single Patient Use Air Transfer Mattress.

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