So many ways to safely slide using PATRAN®

PATRAN® looks like a very simple product. But that simple slide sheet (some people call it a slide tube) can help your caregivers conduct more than 20 safe patient handling and mobility tasks.

That’s why Jamar Health Products uses the slogan “Slide to Safety.” If you need to reduce friction during patient movement in any direction, the PATRAN will come in handy. A PATRAN is never used to lift a patient. Simply slide the patient and reduce the strain and stress on caregivers’ bodies.

From moving C-section mothers to helping transfer bodies in the morgue, a PATRAN works for patients of all types. A PATRAN may come with a patient arriving by ambulance or be assigned to a patient upon admittance, then that same PATRAN can stay with the patient as they move through the hospital – operating room, imaging/radiology, cath lab, physical therapy/rehabilitation.

REPOSITIONING and TRANSFER

The most dangerous tasks when it comes to patient handling are lateral transfer and repositioning/boosting. These activities cause the most injuries to caregivers. PATRAN makes boosting in bed, transferring between surfaces, and turning or repositioning patients much easier and safer. Use PATRAN to:

  • Transfer to and from bed to gurney/cart.
  • Transfer from gurney/cart to OR table, imaging surface, cath table, exam table, etc., or vice versa.
  • Turn patients onto their side or back to prevent bed sores, care for wounds, or take care of hygiene.
  • Get patients up and out of bed to go for a walk or turn them back into bed from a sitting position.
  • Turn patients onto side or prone position for surgical procedures
  • Increase mobility to increase a patient’s independence, decrease length-of-stay, and reduce complications associated with immobility.

 

ALTERNATIVES to LOG-ROLLING

An increasing number of safe patient handling experts are saying that log-rolling is not safe for caregivers. Jamar Health Products, Inc., doesn’t tell caregivers how to insert a PATRAN, but we give you a variety of options on how to do so, several of which don’t require log-rolling.

The size, slipperiness, and flexibility of the PATRAN allow for versatility when it comes to getting the PATRAN under the patient.

Patients’ medical conditions and size vary as do the types of equipment and the layout of patient care areas, so Jamar doesn’t believe that one style of insertion works for every patient. We give you options so that you can use your best medical judgment when using a PATRAN.

 

INSERTING LINENS

PATRANs can make it easier to adjust or insert linens, such as incontinence pads, drawsheets, and Chux, under a patient. The linens slide under the patient and reduce the risk of skin shear.

Similarly, caregivers can slide slings under patients lying in bed or sitting in chairs, or insert an air-assisted mat under a patient. In some cases, air mats don’t inflate fully or drag. By placing a PATRAN between the air mat and the surface, the air mat will perform much better.

 

INSERTING X-RAY CASSETTES

Depending on the equipment your facility uses, inserting a portable X-ray cassette under a patient can prove difficult. Putting a PATRAN under the patient can not only allow the cassette to go in more smoothly for the tech, but it can also reduce skin shear and make the process more comfortable for the patient.

 

BATHROOM ASSISTANCE and FALLS

When a patient falls, it always seems to happen in an inconvenient spot, such as in a bathroom. Insert a PATRAN or two under a fallen patient and pull them out to a more open area. Have a sling or air-assisted device waiting, and pull them onto that device so the patient can be lifted to a safe surface. If there is concern that a patient may have been injured in a fall, one of the non-log-roll methods can provide a more comfortable way of getting the PATRAN under the patient. If the patient has soiled himself/herself and the floor during the fall, simply dispose of the low-cost PATRAN after use.

If a patient is having a difficult time getting centered on a commode, use PATRAN to help them do so. Again, a PATRAN is disposable and can go a long way to help with patient dignity.

 

DRESSING PATIENTS

From helping pull pants up on a patient lying in bed, to making it easier to get arms and legs into clothing or sliding shoes on, the PATRAN can assist with dressing activities.

In addition, most caregivers struggle over helping patients put on T.E.D. hose/compression stockings. The PATRANapp or a piece of a full-size PATRAN can help make that tedious task much easier. The

PATRANapp can be helpful in the outpatient therapy setting. If the patient has the flexibility to reach his or her feet but struggles with strength, the PATRANapp may give them more independence to put on their own stockings.

 

REHABILITATION and MOBILITY

Sometimes patients just need a little help to get them moving. PATRAN provides a slippery surface that makes it easier to start early mobility activities such as range-of-motion exercises after a stroke or hip replacement.

With a PATRAN, some patients may be able to assist in boosting themselves, turning for wound care, or turning themselves out of bed to go for a walk.

 

AND MUCH MORE

Caregivers are very innovative. They continue to come up with uses for a simple PATRAN. Do you have a use for a PATRAN that hasn’t been mentioned here? Please share it with Jamar Health Products, Inc., by emailing stefanies@patran.net.