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Repositioning Sheet reduces risk of injury

Patient Repositioning Causes Nursing Injury

by sphmedicaladmin July 11, 2022July 20, 2022

Nurses face a high risk of sustaining a patient repositioning injury when working in any department hospital setting, even when practicing even the most common patient handling tasks. The two most common tasks where injuries take place are when boosting a patient up in bed or undertaking a lateral transfer. Many of the in bed patient care tasks that nurses perform require lifting, pushing, pulling, and holding that can cause injury. This article will discuss the two most effective evidence based solutions to address repositioning in bed and lateral transfers.

The Risk of Performing a Lateral Transfer

Lateral transfers are predictable and the cause of many injuries to nursing staff, including back injuries, sprains, strains, or tears. These repetitive tasks put nurses at a higher risk for injury and using the old-fashioned draw sheet or plastic slider board don’t do much to make the situation safer. When using the older low tech solutions like a draw sheet or slider board, friction still exists and nurses have to use excessive force to push, pull, and transfer patients.

Boosting up in Bed is a Nursing Nightmare

Boosting a patient happens countless times a day in every nursing unit in the country. But, this traditionally manual bed-sheet task causes many injuries due to the high rate of repetition, increase in morbid obesity, awkward body posture, friction and other safety factors.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, patient handling injuries among nurses cost almost 1 billion dollars annually, with over 200,000 reported injuries every year. Of course, this isn’t news to nurses. As many as 20% of nursing employees leave direct care positions because of the associated risks.

Reduce Your Risk of Injury

With the use of medical technology, like the breathable repositioning sheet and SPH Medical’s air transfer system, nurses can reduce the amount of staff needed for patient-handling tasks from as many as eight to one or two individuals.

The breathable repositioning sheet is a major step forward in safety for patients and nurses alike. Designed out of a breathable material the sheet can stay under patients for extended periods of time allowing nursing staff to boost, turn, and transfer patients using an overhead or mobile lift system. Unlike other repositioning sheets out on the market the SPH Medical breathable repositioning sheet does not have straps going across the underside of the sheet. This innovative design means less pressure on patients’ skin during their length of stay. Nurses across the country rely on the SPH Medical breathable repositioning sheet for all day Safe Patient Handling and care.

The SPH Medical Air Transfer System is a single patient use Air Transfer Mattress that is compatible with most manufacturer’s air supplies or blowers. The air supply inflates the mattress and a thin cushion of air underneath an inflatable mattress, which helps to reduce friction. It is recommended by AORN for virtually all adult patients, even post-surgery.

Air-assisted transfer systems and breathable repositioning sheets are the gold standard in hospitals now because they directly addresses the patient repositioning tasks that cause hundreds of thousands of nurses to hurt themselves every year. A clinical evaluation from the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses journal found that nurses rated air-assisted systems higher than other methods.

Accessible and Easy to Manage

Single patient use transfer mats keep the unit, the nurse, and the patients more comfortable and safer. Because they are disposed of after patient use, it is easy to track the inventory and there is no need to worry about the laundry system or other procedures that might keep transfer units from being available. The kits can also be kept on-unit so they can easily be used throughout the day.

It’s Better for the Patient, Too

Since the mattress is a single patient use item, the mattress is disposed of which reduces the risk of cross-contamination between patients and the risk of possible infections. It’s safer because they are being transferred or boosting up in bed more gently and staff are using less physical effort.

SPH Medical wants to make nurses’ lives easier by focusing on reducing the risk of nursing injury. A nurse should be able to go home and enjoy her personal time without pain or injury-related medical issues.

air transfer systems

Nurses Select Air Transfer Systems to Improve Safety and Patient Care

by sphmedicaladmin December 22, 2021January 18, 2022

Nurses Are Becoming Increasingly At Risk For Workplace Injuries

Now more than ever, there is a shortage of nurses. Many older nurses are hitting retirement age, and the COVID virus Pandemic has not been kind to these figures either. More nurses are needed, and fewer are available. This issue is correlating unfortunately well with other directly related topics. Patients are getting much heavier, and States are legislating to mandate safety programs in hospitals. These programs are not a negative factor, but in regards to fewer nurses and more serious patients, more and more injuries are occurring for nurses in the workplace. Nurses are in the top three professions at risk for receiving Musculoskeletal Injuries that are potentially career-ending. The overall objective is safe patient handling while simultaneously minimizing workplace injuries. If nurses could move larger patients without risking injury, it would benefit the nursing shortage as well. Also, if a larger patient is coding, time is a crucial resource. If a nurse doesn’t have to struggle to reposition or transfer a patient, it can potentially be life-saving. This is where the SPH Medical Air Transfer Systems can help save time and resources in a critical situation.

Other Technologies Have Been Used But Remain Limited

There have been other systems and technologies in place. Ceiling lifts were installed in newer hospitals and were retrofitted in several older hospitals. The main concern with this system is mobility. Ceiling lifts are attached to a permanently mounted track that positions a patient inside of a sling. Mobile lifts solve that issue with wheels. They can be very cost-effective, but typically two careers are required when hoisting a patient.

Air Assisted Transfer System

The Air Assisted Transfer System or sometimes referred to as an Air Powered Transfer System, is the preferred technology with nurses. Minimal effort is needed when using these systems to move patients. From bed to gurney, a bed to OR Tables, a bed to x-ray or CT table, the Air-Powered Transfer System is a multifaceted solution. They are highly portable and can be moved with a patient as they are relocated on a stretcher or bed.

How Air Transfer Systems Works

After the patient is securely placed on the mattress, low-pressure air pushed from an air supply will inflate the breathable transfer mattress. The air supply supports the patient comfortably and air escapes perforations in the bottom of the mattress supporting the mattress on a mobile bed of air. This reduces friction and facilitates near-effortless patient transfers. This, in turn, results in caregivers using a significant decrease in physical effort. The air patient transfer system decreases exertion and meets workplace safety guidelines.

The Benefits Push Beyond Mobility And Required Exertion

With a Single Patient Use Transfer Mattress System, there are benefits beyond eliminating injuries within the workspace. Air-assisted technology moves patients with more stability. This, in turn, reduces skin shearing and bruising during transfers. Single Patient Use Air Transfer System also eliminates costs and logistical issues that are associated with reprocessing. During typical situations, this reduces the risk of cross-contamination. During a pandemic like COVID, the benefits exceed even greater. The air-assisted technologies are also MRI compatible and vary style and width, and can accommodate patients that weigh 1000lbs.

Air Transfer Systems Can Be used Anywhere

These systems can be used in any hospital department. This is extremely useful where transfers are common and are a daily occurrence. There are also particular departments where ceiling lifts are too challenging to install. The ICU, MedSurgery, OR, Imaging Department, Transport, and Emergency Rooms are all sectors that could yield massive results from implementing these technologies. Essentially, ANYWHERE lateral patient transfers are made from one surface to another, or frequent repositions are made can benefit from their usage.

The Multifaceted Benefits from Using Air Assisted Transfer Systems are Too Great

The results speak for themselves. Right now, this is the premier equipment in safe patient handling. These technologies are an extra pair of hands for our quickly dwindling nurse workforce, allowing more effective utilization of human resources within the bounds of the hospitals. It is also an extra measure of safety, assuring the crew isn’t taking unnecessary risks and potentially receiving musculoskeletal injuries furthering the nursing shortage. This also reduces the direct and indirect cost of these injuries, freeing up hospital budgets thousands to millions of dollars.

They also coincide with the new safety programs being required for hospitals

Other technologies like overhead lifts, mobile lifts, slider boards, and rollerboards have seen their usage, and it is time to move past these outdated technologies. They are particular and are less of an across-the-board solution. The Single Patient Use Transfer Mattress is the best solution for the nurse, the patient, and the hospital for safety, cost-effectiveness. It could make an immediate impact on the various issues surrounding the health care scene.

AORN recommends using an Air Powered Lateral Transfer System for supine transfers in Perioperative care areas

Patient Handling

Reduce Risk of Injury and Infections with Air Transfer Technology

by sphmedicaladmin September 30, 2021October 5, 2021

Implementing Air Transfer Technology Reduces the Risk of Infections and Staff Injury in Hospitals

Hospitals are typically viewed as place where state of the art healthcare services are provided. However hospitals today are still not the safest places to work. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic nurses and healthcare workers have been exposed to workplace injuries from manually lifting, moving and transferring patients. Infection prevention was always a top concern as well for both staff and patients. Hospitals and their infection prevention team has had their hands full preventing cross contamination and transmission of deadly viruses within the hospital. Some of these pathogens include C. difficile, MRSA, VRE, H1N1 and many more. The risks abound for patients and staff. According to the CDC, “On any given day, about one in 31 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection.” One way to reduce both the risk of injury and Hospital Associated Infections is to streamline transfer and positioning processes with the Air Transfer Technology from SPH Medical.

The Air Transfer System is a multifaceted approach to solving the issues associated with lateral transfer. Lateral transfers are quite common in the hospital setting, and they are also one of the most dangerous patient-handling tasks. During a global pandemic, lateral transfers can be especially unnerving. When moving patients from one surface to another, there is a risk of contamination. As patients are moved around the hospital, they can leave a trail of germs that allows pathogens to spread. Healthcare associated infections are incredibly problematic. By the best estimates, one in every 31 patients will be infected each day.

The Air Transfer System can minimize the risk of HAI’s within a facility. These systems are designed for single-patient use. In other words, they are not shared from patient to patient. This is more important than ever. With increased concern over the spread of germs within hospitals, infection prevention protocols have become more stringent. Using single patient use devices is a further advancement in minimizing the risk of infection.

The injury risk to nursing staff associated with patient positioning and transfers may even be of greater concern. Compared to other work settings, hospitals are among the most dangerous places to work. The risk of injury is 5.9 per 100 workers. This compares to a risk of 2.6 per 100 workers in other industries. Much of this risk comes from pushing, pulling, boosting, holding, and transferring patients. Patients are moved all the time.

For example, an ICU nurse caring for four patients over a 12 hour shift performs an estimated 48 repositioning tasks that include boosting and turning every two hours! Now consider that patients are getting heavier and typically average 250-300lbs and the nurse is considerably smaller having to manually move these patients. Nurses are the coordinators of care often the ones responsible for repositioning, turning and transfers. It is not surprising, therefore, that 80 percent of nurses endure some injury on the job.

Manual Patient Handling

When a patient is moved in bed or is transferred from one surface to another, it is often a manual process. In other words, the patient must be lifted or pulled up in bed or slid over from a bed to a gurney. In some cases, a draw sheet may be used or some other type of friction reducing device may be used like the old fashioned plastic slider board that always hangs at the end of the hall. However, the draw sheets actually cause nurses to lift, and the plastic boards do not reduce friction sufficiently to reduce risk. The cumulative trauma from the predictable and repetitive patient positioning and transferring tasks have been documented as leading causes of injury to nurses.

This does not mean that injury is inevitable. Thanks to proven technology, it is possible to make transfers safer and reduce the risk of nursing injury and repositioning injury. Just consider the SPH Medical Air Transfer System. The single patient use Air Transfer Mats are part of this system from SPH Medical. The technology dramatically improves the efficiency of patient positioning and transferring while reducing risk of risk.

The New Standard of Care

The Air Transfer System utilizes the power of air to inflate the mattress and safely cradle the patient while releasing air through the bottom of the mattress to virtually eliminate friction. Nurses can easily reposition patients or float them from one surface to another. Air transfer technology is fast becoming the standard of care for surgery departments and the OR within Labor and Delivery Units. The Association of Peri-Operative Nurses, AORN, recently released their updated Safe Patient Handling tool kit and recommends its usage for all patients greater than 157 lbs that require lateral transfers.

Air Powered systems make repositioning a patient up in bed safer for nurses. Patients who are confined to bed, or bed bound, and unable to turn and move on their own must be turned and repositioned every two hours for wound prevention. In-bed repositioning poses risks similar to lateral transfers. In the past, two nurses would simply grab the bedsheet to boost the patient and lift or drag the patient up in bed. When repeated all throughout the day, the risk of injury is prevalent. The single patient use Air Transfer Mat stays underneath the patient to enable safe repositioning. With a simple flip of the switch the mat will inflate and nurses can boost a patient with ease, even heavy patients.

These are just a few examples of how Air Powered systems are so important to nursing safety. Patients who require total care put a real strain on a nurse’s physical health. While it is imperative to provide critical care for these patients, it is equally important to keep nurses safe in the process. Fortunately, the SPH Medical Air Transfer Technology can serve both purposes. Total care patients will be safer and more comfortable throughout their stay, and nurses and other hospital staff will be at a reduced risk of injury.

These risks are not overstated. In fact, if anything, there is not nearly enough attention given to the problems associated with a patient transfer process in the hospital. There are entire legislative solutions that have been passed to address the issue, and the CDC has taken a proactive approach to set infection prevention guidelines for both patient and staff safety.

The risks are real. Fortunately, it is possible to significantly impact the challenges of Healthcare Associated Infections and patient positioning with single patient use Air Transfer Mats from SPH Medical.

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