Lateral Patient Air Transfer
Encyclopedia
Lateral Patient Air Transfer is an industry that uses air-based systems to create safe patient handling and positioning. The industry focuses on bariatric
and fragile patient care
, hospital staff safety and hospital workers compensation.
Air transfer products use an inflatable surface that forces a constant volume of air out from beneath it to break the plane of friction
, making the work of transferring patients safer for caregivers and patients.
rates. Devised from a piece of plywood and a 50’s Ford headliner, used as a pillow, an industry was born and has evolved since then to bring new products to caregivers and patients. More recent innovations include heat-sealed (RF welded) seam construction, as an option to stitched seams, which can be potential bacteria accumulation points. Also, disposable, single patient use (SPU) air transfer mattresses have been introduced which eliminate the need for frequent washing of the mattress.
Products in the industry began as long air-filled mats that have progressed into several different versions with accessory products that assist in more than just the transfer of patients. One of the newest innovations is an air-filled ramp that is placed on top of an air transfer system. The basic idea of a ramp is to create three-dimensional positioning for procedures. When the patient is on the air-transfer system hospital staff can fill the ramp with air to lift the patient’s upper body and clear their airway, which makes intubation
easier on hospital staff during anesthetization
.
in the health care field is patient transfer. The repetitive task of lifting and handling patients from one spot to another creates a relatively high incidence of musculoskeletal disorders
(MSD). The Bureau of Labor Statistics
reports that healthcare workers occupy six of the top ten occupations at highest risk for back injuries.
With the use of an air-transfer system only two hospital staff members are needed to transfer a patient, versus four or more. The weight is much lighter on the staff, and patients are moved without jerking or rolling, as they were when draw sheets were used to transfer patients.
. In addition to the direct weight-related medical morbidities of obesity, hospitals face practical problems – how to care for, transport and move patients with severe obesity
.
In the past, hospital staff members have had to go as far as to wake up a patient in the operating room
for a patient to assist in their own positioning. With the increasing prevalence of severe obesity, hospitals face growing concerns of both patient and personnel safety in the transfer and care of patients. Hospitals continue to focus on this problem with the ultimate goal of providing aids to patient mobilization, such that patient care personnel need not be concerned about work-place injury and patient safety
is maximized.
an interest in various modes of patient mobilization. Along with air-based transfer systems there are many different options including: swiveling floor boards, swiveling cushions, handling belts, lateral transfer devices (convertible or stretcher chairs), and floor or ceiling-mounted patient lift
s to aid different types of patient mobilization, such as laying-to-sitting, sitting-to-standing, and support while walking.
Bariatrics
Bariatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity. The term bariatrics was created around 1965, from the Greek root bar- , suffix -iatr , and suffix -ic...
and fragile patient care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
, hospital staff safety and hospital workers compensation.
Air transfer products use an inflatable surface that forces a constant volume of air out from beneath it to break the plane of friction
Friction
Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and/or material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction:...
, making the work of transferring patients safer for caregivers and patients.
Evolution of the industry
Traditionally, draw sheets were used to transfer patients from bed to stretcher. In 1984 the first air-based lateral patient transfer device was created in response to rising hospital workers' compensationWorkers' compensation
Workers' compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence...
rates. Devised from a piece of plywood and a 50’s Ford headliner, used as a pillow, an industry was born and has evolved since then to bring new products to caregivers and patients. More recent innovations include heat-sealed (RF welded) seam construction, as an option to stitched seams, which can be potential bacteria accumulation points. Also, disposable, single patient use (SPU) air transfer mattresses have been introduced which eliminate the need for frequent washing of the mattress.
Products in the industry began as long air-filled mats that have progressed into several different versions with accessory products that assist in more than just the transfer of patients. One of the newest innovations is an air-filled ramp that is placed on top of an air transfer system. The basic idea of a ramp is to create three-dimensional positioning for procedures. When the patient is on the air-transfer system hospital staff can fill the ramp with air to lift the patient’s upper body and clear their airway, which makes intubation
Intubation
Tracheal intubation, usually simply referred to as intubation, is the placement of a flexible plastic or rubber tube into the trachea to maintain an open airway or to serve as a conduit through which to administer certain drugs...
easier on hospital staff during anesthetization
Anesthesia
Anesthesia, or anaesthesia , traditionally meant the condition of having sensation blocked or temporarily taken away...
.
Safety of caregiver and patient
The leading cause of back injuriesBack injury
Back injuries result from damage, wear, or trauma to the bones, muscles, or other tissues of the back. Common back injuries include sprains and strains, herniated disks, and fractured vertebrae. The lumbar is often the site of back pain. The area is susceptible because of its flexibility and the...
in the health care field is patient transfer. The repetitive task of lifting and handling patients from one spot to another creates a relatively high incidence of musculoskeletal disorders
Musculoskeletal disorders
Musculoskeletal disorders can affect the body's muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Most work-related MSDs develop over time and are caused either by the work itself or by the employees' working environment...
(MSD). The Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is a governmental statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and...
reports that healthcare workers occupy six of the top ten occupations at highest risk for back injuries.
With the use of an air-transfer system only two hospital staff members are needed to transfer a patient, versus four or more. The weight is much lighter on the staff, and patients are moved without jerking or rolling, as they were when draw sheets were used to transfer patients.
Hospital workers' compensation rates
Air-based transfer systems were created in response to rising hospital workers compensation rates. Hospitals attempt to remedy the rising rates by providing an environment where staff members do not need to worry about work-place injuries. The leading cause of back injuries in the healthcare field is patient transfer, and air-based systems eliminate this issue; therefore reducing the need for workers compensation and lowering the rates.Obesity and patient transfer
Obesity has become a national health and economic crisis in the United States and many countries in Europe. Statistics showing the ever-increasing prevalence of obesity in the last decade create implications for the healthcare systemHealth care system
A health care system is the organization of people, institutions, and resources to deliver health care services to meet the health needs of target populations....
. In addition to the direct weight-related medical morbidities of obesity, hospitals face practical problems – how to care for, transport and move patients with severe obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
.
In the past, hospital staff members have had to go as far as to wake up a patient in the operating room
Operating theatre
An operating theater was a non-sterile, tiered theater or amphitheater in which students and other spectators could watch surgeons perform surgery...
for a patient to assist in their own positioning. With the increasing prevalence of severe obesity, hospitals face growing concerns of both patient and personnel safety in the transfer and care of patients. Hospitals continue to focus on this problem with the ultimate goal of providing aids to patient mobilization, such that patient care personnel need not be concerned about work-place injury and patient safety
Patient safety
Patient safety is a new healthcare discipline that emphasizes the reporting, analysis, and prevention of medical error that often leads to adverse healthcare events. The frequency and magnitude of avoidable adverse patient events was not well known until the 1990s, when multiple countries reported...
is maximized.
Other patient transfer systems
Concerns about safety in the workplace (both for the staff as well as the patient) have stimulatedan interest in various modes of patient mobilization. Along with air-based transfer systems there are many different options including: swiveling floor boards, swiveling cushions, handling belts, lateral transfer devices (convertible or stretcher chairs), and floor or ceiling-mounted patient lift
Patient lift
alt=A patient sits in a sling lift with an aluminium frame|thumb|Example of a patient lift in aluminiumA patient lift may be either a sling lift or sit-to-stand lift...
s to aid different types of patient mobilization, such as laying-to-sitting, sitting-to-standing, and support while walking.
External links
- http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/ossm0011.pdf
- http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/sh20060628ar01p1.htm
- http://www.systoc.com/Tracker/Summer02/BackInjuries.asp
- http://www.airpal.com/hope.pdf
- http://www.hovermatt.com/