
The moving and handling of patients within hospital, care home and other medical settings is one of the most crucial processes for staff to get right every single time. The way in which patients are moved and cared for is important, but the tools, equipment, and anti slip fabric that are used in conjunction with these processes provide the perfect tools to ensure patient care is a top priority consistently. Anti-slip fabric and textiles in particular are an important part of the management of a healthcare setting and play a vital role in a wide range of applications, from mattress sheets to wheelchair grips, anti-slip flooring and a whole host of other uses.
What constitutes safe patient handling?
The movement and handling of patients in a hospital should always be conducted in the safest possible manner. It often involves not only the physical interaction between patient and doctor, nurse, or porter, but also the use of a range of assistive devices that ensure that patients are moved in a safe manner, even if the medical professional is performing a high-risk handling task. Devices that are used to help with patient care and handling quite often have anti-slip properties, reducing the risk of slips and in turn the risk of injuries. Overall, safe patient handling helps to improve patient safety.
The benefits of anti-slip fabric in hospitals
Anti-slip fabric is used on mattress sheets and toppers to be placed on top of dynamic mattresses in hospitals. It is used as mats to be placed under the feet of patients to prevent them from slipping on the floor during movement. You find anti-slip fabric on seat pads and wheelchair pads, as well as anti-slip textiles used for shower flooring and applications. There are a few different reasons why anti-slip fabric is used in a hospital setting.
Better grip – with better grip, patients feel more stable and are less likely to suffer a stumble or a fall when moving around in and out of bed, in and out of chairs and around the floor when walking.
Friction for stable movement – anti-slip provides that level of friction that is required when moving patients from one position to another. It helps to prevent slippage and sliding when a patient is being moved from the bed to their feet or into a wheelchair. It also helps patients when they are moving from a sitting to standing position, providing extra support below the feet.
Easily maintained – with such a large number of patients in every hospital and heavy footfall in all parts of a medical setting, anti-slip fabrics are heavily used and must be easy to clean and maintain so as to keep a consistent level of performance and hygiene.
Importance of hygiene – anti-slip fabrics are made with materials that have closed cells, making it a hygienic choice for hospitals where the levels of hygiene must be at the highest level at all times to help prevent the spread of infection.
For those who are responsible for the procurement of anti-slip fabric for use within a wide range of applications in a hospital, care home or other type of healthcare setting should always be on the lookout for a company that has the experience and reputation to supply the highest quality of anti-slip fabrics and textiles. The best companies will utilise the latest materials, processes and technologies to ensure that the end product is of the highest quality, is robust, cost-effective, and ensures the safety of patients in healthcare settings, especially during patient handling and movement processes. Finding the right type of anti-slip fabric for a wide range of applications is crucial to the management of patients in a hospital.