Ensuring your healthcare facility is running at its optimum operational efficiency is more than simply investing in the right equipment; you need to be certain everything is performing well and at full capacity.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (PE), is a potentially serious complication that delays recovery and discharge, leads to long-term and often life changing complications, while increasing healthcare cost.1,2

As part of National Thrombosis Week (6–10 May 2019), we are joining the campaign to spread awareness about Venous Thromboembolism with a series of articles about this deadly disease.

Why do companies often seem to promote the preferential use of genuine spare parts over other available alternatives? Primarily because the use of genuine spare parts is recommended by manufacturers in product user guides to help ensure products perform as designed during their expected service life. This can reduce performance risks and support customers to realise the most value from their original investment.

Time away from clinical practice to attend mandatory patient handling training is an increasing challenge for healthcare organisations, and standard classroom training alone is not adequate to positively influence safer and effective working practices.

Much has been written about the safe patient handling which requires direct patient contact, for example a patient transfer, but less so about the handling risks associated with patient transportation.

Standing and raising aids (SARA), also known as sit-to-stand devices, are often used by caregivers to transfer patients or residents between two seated positions, e.g. seated on the edge of a bed to a wheelchair, orseated in a wheelchair to commode or a shower chair.A standing and raising aid is an active patient lift designed  to support only the upper body of the patient and requires the patient to bear some weight. 

More than half of residents in elderly and home care need substantial and daily assistance with washing and/or showering, which can place a great deal of load on a caregivers body.  

More than half of residents in elderly and home care need substantial and daily assistance which can place a great deal of load on a caregiver’s body. It has often been assumed that dynamic load, such as manual  resident transfers and repositioning, are the sources of most of the caregiver injuries.1,2,3,4,5 

A patient’s level of functional mobility is key when choosing how to support their independence. This involves planning to have the right amount of space required available and ensuring the right equipment is used. As a patient’s mobility decreases, the number of aids and  space requirements can increase accordingly.