Sliding a patient or manoeuvering a person of limited mobility up or across a bed is one of the most common patient-handling manoeuvers that caregivers/nurses/home-care undertake. Using a cylindrical sheet allows a caregiver to move the patient much more effectively.
In order to minimise injury to both caregiver and end user a slide sheet is used to help slide the end user up or across a surface. This reduces the risk of shearing to the end user’s skin as well as reducing the pushing/pulling activity for the caregiver, which could otherwise result in long term injury.
A slide sheet can also be used for assisting the insertion and retrieval of a sling and is an essential part of a caregiver’s or moving and handling specialist’s/trainer’s kit.
The cylindrical sheet is manufactured from a low friction material which provides gliding properties and reduced shearing forces.
Choosing the correct size of slide sheet is very important, the sheet should be big enough to encompass the end user’s entire body.
If you can’t find the correct size for your patient, then a flat sheet can be used instead, a bigger size must be used with two caregivers assisting with the manoeuvre.
