XL Humane blanket?

[pandora44]

It's been a very bad couple of weeks lately and our unit has had a very high number of code greens. We're averaging 4-5 a night. It's been bad. This is not normal for us. We just have a very difficult patient population at this time.

My question is about our humane blanket, which is used to restrain and transport patients who are out of control. It works pretty well, provided the patient is of average size. However, the patients who have been causing the code greens are all very obese. The humane blanket doesn't fit around them very well, or, in some cases, at all. This is dangerous for the patient and the staff.

I looked online to see if there was a blanket that was bigger but it seems like we have the largest one. Some staff said we used to have walking restraints that worked well but they had to have a key, and we can't use any locking restraints.

Have any other units had this problem? Any ideas?

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

Pandora, I re-read what everyone wrote and all I see is support for you so that you and the patients can remain safe. Posters seem to be saying they just wish there was a totally effective way to manage difficult situations and wish all management saw the big picture. Sometimes we respond as a reflection to our own experiences that sometimes haven't been good ones. That doesn't mean we're attacking you or your proficiency.

I had never heard of a human blanket before your posting and looked it up. I think that gadget would be a huge improvement from what my hospitals used, which was people all over the patient to hold him down until other things could be done. I do wonder how you get the patient into the blanket though, and would surely like you to tell us that, if you don't mind.

Don't throw us out of your thinking. We're here to be helpful, even though we vent alot. Our work is difficult and venting happens!

I hope you can find the extra large blanket. I searched online and didn't find one.