Clinical skills: bed making and patient positioning.
Providing a clean, comfortable bed and positioning a patient in the optimum posture for prevention of complications and to enable maximum independence are fundamental nursing skills. Bed-making is a daily routine that requires practical and technical skills. Selecting the correct posture for a patient in bed or in a chair is essential for physiological functioning and recovery. In this article bed-making is described, as are positioning and re-positioning in relation to patients in bed, armchairs and wheelchairs. Infection control and moving and handling issues are also considered.
Pellatt
Glynis Collis
GC
Faculty of Health and Social Science, Aylesbury Vale Education Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
D001510:Bed Rest / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing*; D001512:Bedding and Linens; D001513:Beds; D002983:Clinical Competence; D006804:Ergonomics; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control; D017770:Lifting; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D011187:Posture; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014910:Wheelchairs