Tips for Repositioning & Bathing Pts!

[Mary C, MSN, RN, APRN, CNM]

I work nights with 2 other RNs with fairly high acuity patients. We pitch in and help each other out when possible, but it's not always possible.

I was just wondering tips and tricks for repositioning, fluffing & buffing, and bed baths for patients alone.

[chenoaspirit, ASN, RN]

When Im by myself and need to pull up a patient in the bed, I put the bed in trendelenburg position (as long as the patient doesnt have breating problems) and then stand at the head of the bed and grab each side of the drawsheet and pull them up.

I also try to have the patient help me roll themselves, it gives them more control. You can pull them to one side and have them hold onto the siderail while you go to the other side to wash backside. Its really hard to do a "complete" by yourself.

[Hygiene Queen]

The draw sheet is your best friend. Always use it. In a pinch, I too pull up pts from the head of the bed. The newer beds are designed where this is actually quite easy. Get the pt to help you as much as possible. If the bed inflates on the right or left, take advantage of that... it helps give you the push you need.

Don't be afraid to tell a pt that is very very heavy you will need to come back asap w/ someone to help you. Don't let your pride hurt your back.

Use the positioning techniques you were taught. I see sooo many people blow that part of their training off. I don't know why.

If you have a darn good CNA, don't be afraid to learn from them. I have actually taught a few nurses a few good "tricks". That is a MAJOR focus in training aides and they are usually quite smooth in positioning difficult pts by themselves.

Talk your pt through all steps of the process, even if you don't think they understand. I firmly believe the pt just hearing a soothing voice, as you work with them, helps them-- which helps you.

Don't know if that was helpful to you, but that's my 2 cents.

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

When I ma in the hospital the nurse uses the sheet under me to position me. They grab that (usually there happen to be two people in the room, I am thinking nurse and CNA though I do not know) and they each grab the sheet in one hand and one of my arms in the other, then they have me dig my feet in and push up as best possible while they pull me further up.

When the nurse is by them selves then they reach behind me to hold on to both sides of me at the same time and lift me, once again with me digging my heels in and pushing as best I can.

[pinkpurple]

Pardon my ignorance, but when you guys mentioned draw sheet, did you mean sliding sheets? I work here in U.K. and we doesn't use draw sheets anymore for several years now. we instead have different types of sliding sheets or glide sheets that help to easily facilitate the moving and handling of patients. Also we're taught not to do any lifting on patients.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

Never reposition without help. It is simply too dangerous. You can't care for your patients if you are out of work d/t a back injury.

[casi, ASN, RN]

Pardon my ignorance, but when you guys mentioned draw sheet, did you mean sliding sheets? I work here in U.K. and we doesn't use draw sheets anymore for several years now. we instead have different types of sliding sheets or glide sheets that help to easily facilitate the moving and handling of patients. Also we're taught not to do any lifting on patients.

Nope, they mean drawsheets. I've seen very few liftting devices in the hosptial I work at. We're expected to use our muscle.

[Mary C, MSN, RN, APRN, CNM]

Yes and the one slidey sheet i have helps to boost someone up in the bed but alone it's so hard to stuff under a pt that unless you're pulling them UP, there is no point to stuff it under them to move them to one side or the other.... We're made to destroy our backs, in management's eyes, i think.

[pinkpurple]

Yes and the one slidey sheet i have helps to boost someone up in the bed but alone it's so hard to stuff under a pt that unless you're pulling them UP, there is no point to stuff it under them to move them to one side or the other.... We're made to destroy our backs, in management's eyes, i think.

I can't believe it's still like that in America. I've always thought that whatever we have here in UK when it comes to patient equipments/facilities, you guys have it better in U.S.

Apart from not doing any lifting on patients, we're also taught here not to move patients i.e. sliding patients up the bed, without using any proper moving and handling equipment such as sliding sheets because if our back gets injured while doing such task, the hospital is not going to be held liable for the injury. The hospital is also not even going to give us paid sick leave which can be up to six months full pay.

[meandragonbrett]

I don't move patients by myself nor do I bathe patients without assistance from a colleague or ancillary staff.

[Mary C, MSN, RN, APRN, CNM]

while in a perfect world, this would be lovely, but on night shift when it's not always plausible, how do you reccommend this?

[Mary C, MSN, RN, APRN, CNM]

Pardon my ignorance, but when you guys mentioned draw sheet, did you mean sliding sheets? I work here in U.K. and we doesn't use draw sheets anymore for several years now. we instead have different types of sliding sheets or glide sheets that help to easily facilitate the moving and handling of patients. Also we're taught not to do any lifting on patients.

no we meant draw sheet