The nursing care team and other health care professionals like physical therapists must, therefore, promote patient mobility and prevent immobility whenever possible. Immobility can adversely affect all physiological bodily systems.
The hazards or complications of patient immobility, such as skin breakdown, pressure wounds, contractures, muscular weakness, muscular atrophy, disuse osteoporosis, renal calculi, urinary stasis, urinary retention, urinary incontinence, urinary tract infections, atelectasis, pneumonia, decreased respiratory vital capacity, venous stasis, venous insufficiency, orthostatic hypotension, decreased cardiac reserve, edema, emboli, thrombophlebitis, constipation and the loss of calcium from the bones, are highly costly in terms of health care dollars and in terms of patient suffering.
In addition to this, in healthcare settings, such as emergency services, aged care and hospitals, caregivers can sustain injuries from lifting and moving people. This could happen when transferring a patient from bed to chair, helping a patient who has fallen, and handling trolleys and wheelchairs. Tasks like these may involve hazardous manual handling activities, which can lead to musculoskeletal disorders like sprains and strains to the back and shoulders.
The HoverSling Repositioning Sheet and HoverSling Split-Leg function as both a HoverMatt SPU and sling to streamline patient handling tasks and decrease the amount of time and money spent using multiple products.
- Caregivers can safely reduce the physical demands of vertical and lateral transfers, boosting, turning and vertical lifting while maintaining patient comfort and security.
The HoverSling® Repositioning Sheet combines the HoverMatt® SPU with sling straps for vertical lifting, lateral and supine transfers, turning, and positioning. Both can be used with any loop-style hanger bar. The HoverSling® Split-Leg is a combination of the HoverMatt® Split-Leg and a sling – it functions as a limb lifter and stabilizer, as well as a full body sling to perform vertical lifting, lateral and seated transfers.
HoverSling products allow caregivers to overcome several common challenges of immobile patients, including: turning, repositioning, boosting, lateral transfers, hygiene, weighing, performing mobile X-rays, and changing linens, thus saving money and preventing caregiver and patient injuries.
