AAMHP

1. Consulting and Education Director, Guldmann Inc., USA
2. Director for Population Health, Signature Healthcare, Brockton, MA , USA
3. Safe Patient Handling Educator, Southcoast Hospitals Group, New Bedford, MA , USA
4. Wound Ostomy Nurse, Southcoast Hospitals Group, New Bedford, MA, USA
5. Enterostomal Therapist, Southcoast Hospitals Group, New Bedford, MA, USA

Objectives:

Keeping the patient handling repositioning sling under the patient on various Pressure Redistribution or Low Air Loss bed surfaces is controversial with clinical nursing practice based on bed manufacturers’ recommendations. Wound care specialist and bed manufacturers instruct clinical staff to limit any product between the patient and the bed surface to maximize the benefits of the pressure redistribution or low air loss features. The perception is that the additional barrier between the bed surface and the patient will affect the microclimate, pressure and temperature variables. From a safe patient handling perspective,  the purpose of keeping the repositioning sling under the patient on these surfaces is to reduce exposure to shear forces when repositioning the patient. The standard nursing recommendation for skin’s pressure relief  is to reposition the patient every 2 hours which is easily achieved with the use of the patient lift. However, this becomes a barrier if you must place and remove the sling under the patient every time you need to reposition the patient. An investigation was conducted  measuring temperature and pressure on Pressure Redistribution surfaces and Low Air Loss (LAL) surfaces with an assortment of patient repositioning slings to evaluate the sling’s influence on these common hospital bed surfaces.  

Methods:

Utilizing the FSA4 by Vista Medical Pressure Mapping  Long Stretch Mat and  Temperature Testing Mat,  adult female subjects’ baseline measures of  temperature and pressure on various hospital bed surfaces (pressure redistribution, powered pressure redistribution, low air loss) with head of bed at 30 degree angle were taken.  Subsequent measurements were taken of these same two 2 parameters (pressure and temperature) with various styles of repositioning slings’ fabrics (polyester woven, polyester mesh and disposable polyester) on the same hospital bed surfaces.