Pressure ulcers & Q2hr turns

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I'm at a facility where start of shift I'm noticing patients don't have foam wedges under them. The nurses will say they removed it so the patient can lay on their back for 2 hours. I was taught to never leave a patient on their back with exceptions of course but as far as q2 turns for patients that cannot self turn, no. There are a high amount of coccyx pressure ulcers they said develop on the unit. I can see why.
 

we also have heel lift boots and nobody utilizes them, I put them on my patients and they are removed when I come back on shift with pillows instead. The pillows are either flat and their heels still touch the bed or nurses are placing their heel completely on the pillow when it should be floating. I was even questioned twice why the patients that were comatose had heel lift boots on. 
 

heel protectors that I place for patients heels are taken off when I come back on shift.
 

as far as the wedge goes, the degree angle these nurses place the foam wedge and the patient, the patients are basically lying on their coccyx. It drives me insane. 
 

Anyway, as far as the turns go, I was looking for a policy regarding turns but it doesn't specify. 
 

I work in the ICU and I know these patients are high risk but it bothers me that patients are left on their backs. Do you guys also leave patients on their backs for 2 hours? 

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