When patients are undergoing surgery, nurses work to ensure their patients are in the safest, proper position whether they’re lying on their back supine, face down prone, or even inverted in Trendelenburg position. To do this, healthcare providers use foam, gel, or bean bag positioners to properly support their patients, but some hospitals are using makeshift positioners that not only don’t work as well, but can even further injure the patient.

On this episode of AliTalks by AliMed, host Daniel Litwin broke down the issue of proper positioners with Mary Grace Hensell, former director at Allegheny General Hospital, an educator and medical legal consultant, and Steve Dunn, product manager for AliMed.

“Nurses are ingenious in a lot of ways to get a position situated for surgery. About 30 years ago, it was acceptable to position patients with pillows and foam,” Hensell said. “But as we’ve moved forward, we’ve found there are a lot more positioning agents out there to keep our patients safe. We really don’t need to make our own devices as nurses anymore.”

AliMed develops and delivers positioning solutions that improve patient outcomes, offering unique and innovative gel and foam products engineered to redistribute pressure, maximize stability, reduce shear, and improve imaging visualization.

AliMed’s positioners range from adult and bariatric to pediatric and neonatal to support all range of patients.

"It’s about the safety of the patient overall,” Dunn said.

In this episode, Hensell and Dunn also discussed the legal liability that comes with DIY positioners and how they’re helping raise awareness and education of proper positioners for healthcare facilities worldwide.