In one of our previous articles, we discussed the role of nurses in elder care facilities. Now let’s take a look at the role of nurses in general and how they employ their expertise towards helping their patients in a hospital setting, specifically, how to help patients when it comes to physical employment.
If you have ever tried lifting up a grown adult who is heavy who simply cannot move on their own, then you will understand how difficult it is to achieve this task without dropping the patient or falling yourself. There is a high chance of patients falling and probably suffering from a major injury, if not for the professional nurses handling the task like a pro.
So, what is it that these nurses do that makes them such an expert at handling the patients with care and moving them from one bed to another, without so much as a jostle felt by the patients? For starters, they use the following techniques:
Training
There is an art to all that lifting and repositioning that nurses have to master. It is important to get to know about the workings of all the equipment, how to lift the bed, how to change the setting slowly, how to prevent too much pressure on patient’s weak spots, and so on. It is only after they know every aspect of the equipment in question that they become confident of their skills are given the responsibility to handle the patients.
Give the Details
More often than not, it helps the patient’s relatives to know what is actually happening. In order to prepare the patients for the move or help them in repositioning, it helps greatly if they are given step-by-step details of everything. Most of the time, people expect much worse than it actually is, and then, of course, there is the fear of the unknown. Once the patients learn what is going to happen, they relax considerably which makes the whole process easier and quicker.
Stay Active and Strong
In order to perform these risky tasks, nurses actually have to stay fit themselves. For instance, nurses need to have good upper body strength to lift up patients who have more weight. They cannot afford the risk of their strength giving out at the last second, which might not only bring pain to the patient but might also result in the nurse suffering from an injury themselves.
Take Preventive Measures
Nurses are friendly with their patients so that they do not feel any hesitancy when asking for help. These nurses also make sure that there is no obstacle in the room or anything else that might trip the patient.
Frequent Rounds
A good nurse is one who doesn’t give any chance for their patients to press the nurse-calling button and do the tasks that could be achieved through their punctual hourly rounds. It has also been noted that the more frequent these rounds are, the fewer incidents there are of the patients falling. In many cases, patients feel like they are completely capable of getting off the bed themselves and end up falling. These visits by the nurses lower the frequency of such accidents.
Now that you know about the preventive measures and thoughtful considerations nurses implement to prevent people from falling and suffering from major injuries, you know what to expect when going through a similar experience.