Sliding sheet: what is it for, why is it used?
What is a sliding sheet?
A sliding sheet is a device used by caregivers (or family caregivers) to move bedridden patients in their beds, straighten them up, move them from one seat to another, and wash them more easily.
Composition
The sliding sheet is made of slippery materials. The fabric is 100% polyamide with polyurethane coating treated with silicone. the two layers of fabric in contact slide over each other.
What is a sliding sheet used for?
The sliding sheet is a medical device to help transfer people immobilized in a bed. The sliding sheet is placed under the body of the bedridden person. It allows the nursing staff to make a lateral or vertical transfer or a 90 ° rotation to the patients.
Sliding sheet: reduce friction and muscle tension
The sliding sheet facilitates the work of the nursing staff (or a caregiver) by reducing friction due to the patient’s weight during handling. It allows bedridden people to be positioned so as to avoid muscle stiffness or tension.
Persons concerned
The sliding sheet is used in bedridden people and who:
- slide to the bottom of the bed and cannot rise;
- have trouble turning to the side for the toilet;
- have little leg strength;
- have little strength in their arms;
- have no strength in their arms or legs.
The sliding sheet is used in hospitals and especially in nursing homes, retirement homes and nursing homes.
How is a sliding sheet used?
The stages of operation
The sliding sheet is placed under the assisted person. If the caregiver wants to bring a person who has slipped up into bed, he places the sheet under the patient. It is positioned on the side of the bed so that its end foot is at the height of the desired position of the patient’s head. He then places one arm under the legs and the other seeks a point of support to help himself. He flexes the leg placed at the bottom of the bed, then performs a side lunge to bring the person up to the top of the bed. To remove the sheet, he puts his hand inside the sheet and pulls on the lower part of the sheet.
When to use it?
The sliding sheet is used by caregivers or caregivers to easily slide a person with reduced mobility into their bed rather than lift it. It allows you to straighten it, change its position, move it to the side, straighten it in a sitting position, and wash it more easily.
The sliding sheet also allows occasional transfer from a stretcher to a bed, or from one bed to another in the event of a change of medical service or a particular hospital examination (Scanner, MRI, etc.) .
Precautions to take
The sliding sheets must be washed at 70 ° to eliminate any viruses and bacteria.
How to choose a sliding sheet?
The width of the sheet should match the width of the medical bed and should be greater than the width of the patient’s shoulders.
The length of the sheet should be greater than the distance between the buttocks and the patient’s head.
The ideal dimensions are 90x130cm.
The different models
Some slip sheet models are equipped with handles that improve the grip of the sheet.
Other sliding sheets offer two layers of fabric, one on the bed side in polyamide with polyurethane coating and the other, on the patient side, in basic polyamide which offers more resistance to friction and therefore better stability of the body on the sheet. sliding.