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The SPH Medical RoWalker improves patient outcomes
CategoriesPatient Handling

Early Mobility and the RoWalker

by sphmedicaladmin

Medically speaking, early patient mobility means mobilizing or getting a patient out of bed within hours of their intensive care stay in a hospital. And there are several reasons why this is of utmost importance, notes an evidence based study from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In that study, researchers revealed that early mobility reduces a patient’s chances of suffering from muscle weakness and delirium, which are both, unfortunately, quite common among bedridden patients.

But reducing the risk of muscle weakness and delirium are not the only benefits that come from getting patients up and out of bed as soon as possible. In a separate study published jointly by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, researchers found that hospital patients who spend less time confined to their hospital beds are less likely to encounter the following health problems:

  • Decubitus ulcers
  • Various blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis
  • Pneumonia
  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs)

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Weighs in on the Benefits of Early Patient Mobility

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, one of twelve agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found that early patient mobility in mechanically ventilated patients can lead to shorter hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stays. The same was said to apply to lowering a patient’s chances of suffering from the following:

  • Sleeping disorders
  • Nutritional deficiencies
  • Mobility issues, such as weak bones, weak muscles, and stiff joints

Why More Hospitals Are Using Safe Patient Handling Programs to Ambulate Bedridden Patients

Although hospital medical teams can position and reposition patients as needed for medical treatments, doing so is hardly efficient. Further, multiple studies show it puts medical teams at risk of suffering overexertion-related musculoskeletal disorders. Available data shows these disorders, which can cause severe back, neck, shoulder, arm, and leg pain, contributed to more than 8,700 missed work days among hospital medical teams in 2016. To improve efficiency and keep patients and hospital medical teams safe, many hospitals have implemented safe patient-handling programs to help mobilize bedridden patients.

What Is a Safe Patient Handling Program?

Succinctly put, a safe patient handling program is a program that comprises extensive training and assistive devices that help medical teams safely and efficiently lift, move, support, reposition, and ambulate patients. One assistive device many hospitals use today to keep their medical teams and patients safe is the RoWalker from SPH Medical. For those who have never seen one, a RoWalker is a fully adjustable platform walker that aids medical teams in freeing patients from the beds that confine them and helping to get them up and standing, taking first steps, and then walking around the unit as they progress functionally. The device also has armrests and handlebars, which help with ergonomics and overall comfort. But it does not end there in terms of what it offers patients and medical teams.

What Hospitals Are Saying About the SPH Medical RoWalker

Several studies show hospitals are beyond happy with the SPH Medical RoWalker. The reason for that supreme elation partly stems from the fact that the SPH Medical RoWalker, designed based on recommendations from leading cardio-thoracic surgeons, physical therapists, and respiratory therapists, can support patients weighing up to 400 pounds. That means patient-handling tasks require fewer medical teams; as such, those team members are free to participate in other activities that are also critical to that patient’s overall care. Many hospitals also like how the RoWalker can carry many of the things that most hospital patients need as they move away from bedside and walk down the hallway, some of which include

  • An oxygen tank
  • Drainage bags
  • An IV pole
  • A small cardiac monitor

Indeed, the benefits of implementing a safe patient-handling program in a hospital are plenty. And that applies to hospital teams and patients alike. To learn more about RoWalker and other devices that go hand in hand with a safe patient-handling program, consider speaking with an SPH Medical associate today.

Early Patient Mobility and the SPH Medical RoWalker
Categoriesearly mobility

Advancements in Early Mobility

by sphmedicaladmin

As the years go by, more and more patient care programs and trends are making their way into the mainstream. One area that has received a plethora of focus in recent years is the advancements in early mobility benefits for those in the ICU and critical care units. If your hospital doesn’t currently have a formal early patient mobility program, it’s time to consider implementing one.

The Biggest Problems With Bedridden Patients

Any nurse that has ever spent time on the floor can tell you that bedridden patients experience numerous health issues beyond their current diagnosis. A big one is muscle deconditioning or weakness that occurs when the muscles aren’t adequately used. Some other notable issues patients experience include delirium and depression.

Fighting These Problems With Early Mobilization

A major solution that has helped to greatly reduce and even eliminate some of these unhealthy conditions in patients is the implementation of early mobilization. Both patients in the ICUs and critical care units have been noted to enhance all of the following:

  • Functional Recovery
  • Walking Distance
  • Reduced Length of Stay
  • Respiratory Function
  • Cardiac Health
  • Muscular Function

While the benefits of early mobilization can have any nurse or PT excited about being able to help their patients even more, implementing this type of program at your hospital requires some planning and clinical input. Not only do you need to convince staff members and patients alike that early mobilization is the key to their best and fastest recovery, but you need to have the right equipment to get the job done.

The SPH Medical RoWalker Platform Walker Providing Advancements in Early Mobility

This acute care ambulation walker is the product of more than ten years worth of collaboration with physical therapists, interdisciplinary nurses, cardiothoracic surgeons, and respiratory therapists. It’s ergonomically designed and provides patients with optimal physical security so that they’re more confident when getting out of bed for the first time. In many cases patients are afraid to get out of bed and stand for the first time. They don’t trust their own legs to support them and also don’t trust the nurse or therapist to prevent them from falling.

Optimal Patient Security

The RoWalker provides an optimal level of patient security with adjustable hand grips, optional support belt, and other unique features. Now you can support early patient mobility with fewer staff members without compromising patient safety. The RoWalker will be sure to fit perfectly into your safe patient handling program, and you’ll be confident knowing that your patients can ambulate with a proven device that has been used in many evidence based mobility programs across the country.

This helpful device utilizes an optional ambulation belt that can be used to assist a low-functioning during walking for fall prevention. This is a great add on to a device that already has everything. With adjustable height levels, the RoWalker can support patients of all heights and sizes. It features two convenient hand grips complemented by padded arm rests to offer optimal patient support.

Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, there are seat flaps that flip up and can also be rotated outwards 180 degrees so that the RoWalker can be brought right up to the bedside so that patients can feel more comfortable standing and taking their first steps.

The seat flaps go a long way in preventing unwanted falls and providing opportunities for rest for both the patient and your staff members alike. Now with the built in seat flaps you don’t have to drag a wheelchair behind the patient during ambulation and fewer staff are required when ambulating ICU patients.

The SPH Medical RoWalker supports IV and Oxygen

Designed With Patient Needs in Mind

The SPH Medical RoWalker is designed with various components that can easily house patient necessities to ensure that they’re under optimal care throughout their mobilization program. The RoWaker has an integrated IV pole, a convenient oxygen tank holder, and a large front basket that can support a portable ventilator or cardiac monitor. You’ll find adequate room for all of the assistive devices that your patients need.

Advancements in early mobility are becoming more and more prominent as its many benefits for the body continually become cited by medical facilities and practitioners. The SPH Medical RoWalker can be the perfect assistive device to help patients in your ICU and critical care units get up and move sooner. With so much evidence supporting the use of early patient mobilization in hospitals, you simply can’t afford not to integrate this program into your facility.

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