In an emergency, medical response moves quickly and many unknowns exist regarding patient condition. The patient might be unconscious, experiencing high levels of pain, or have broken bones or other serious injuries. Whether treatment is provided by emergency medical technicians/paramedics on site or during transport or at a hospital in the Emergency or Trauma departments, PATRAN® slide sheets can help protect emergency professionals from injury and make moving more comfortable for the patient.
Using PATRAN in prehospital settings
Emergency responders can use PATRAN slide sheets in a number of ways. If a patient falls in a tight space, such as in a bathroom or between a bed and a wall, slide a PATRAN under the patient and pull them onto a lift device or backboard. Similarly, the thicker, larger PATRANbari has been used to quickly slide a patient injured in a motorcycle accident from the roadway to the shoulder of the road, where he could be treated safely. Use PATRAN to laterally transfer a patient onto an emergency cart or from an emergency cart to a hospital cart.
A PATRAN can be inserted under a patient without log-rolling. Therefore, a patient with evidence of a spinal injury, broken bones, or other trauma, can be kept stable while a PATRAN is inserted.
The lightweight and compact size of PATRAN slide sheets make them easy to stock on ambulance and air medical transport vehicles. They can also be kept on carts and in medical supply kits for easy access.
PATRAN slide sheets can also assist with lateral transfers for non-emergency hospital transports by ambulance for patients who may not be ambulatory or cognitively alert.
Using PATRAN in emergency/trauma acute care settings
When it comes to safe patient handling, the Emergency Department is an often-overlooked area.1 However, ED professionals see patients of all sizes and medical condition on any given day and often have to laterally transfer or reposition those patients during treatment.
Because emergency-trained nurses remain a scarce resource, it is especially important to protect them from injuries to prevent staffing shortages. Storage space in the ED is limited, so the compact size of PATRANs makes them ideal. They can be easily stored in existing cabinets, or wall dispensers are available so they can be hung in rooms or throughout the department.
A PATRAN slide sheet can be inserted without log-rolling, which reduces the load on caregivers and may prove critical to a patient’s medical condition. If the patient comes in on an ambulance stretcher with the head elevated, and the patient’s condition – such as airway issues – requires the patient to remain upright, the PATRAN’s flexibility allows it to be tucked under the patient so they can be transferred to an ED cart with their head elevated. Because a PATRAN is flat and very thin, it may prove safer for spinal patients than other safe patient handling devices.
Patients might arrive at the ED in personal vehicles. The PATRAN can be used to help pivot people out of the front seat or to slide patients lying in the backseat to where an assistive or lift device is available. In some cases, patients who have arrived in the back of flatbed trucks after snowmobiling, boating, or ATV accidents have been pulled out by slipping a PATRAN beneath them.
If transport to radiology is necessary to diagnose a patient’s medical condition, the PATRAN can travel along and remain under the patient during imaging procedures. In addition, if a portable X-ray is ordered during the ED visit, radiology techs can use the PATRAN to slide the cassette under the patient.
If a patient is admitted and moves from the ED to patient floors, the PATRAN also can remain with a patient as they move from the ED to a patient floor after admission, and then stay with that patient throughout their stay as an assist for repositioning, transferring, and other mobility tasks.
References
1Thomas-Olson L, et al. Creating a Safe Client Handling Culture in Emergency Departments. American Journal of Safe Patient Handling & Mobility 2016;6(2):73-82.