Chapter 7: Moving and positioning
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Positioning a patient: in bed
Evidence‐based approaches
Rationale
Effective positioning of a patient in bed is essential, not only to ensure their comfort but also to prevent injury, such as pressure, muscle or joint damage.
Indications
Positioning in bed is indicated for any patient who is unable to reposition themselves independently.
Contraindications
There are no absolute contraindications; however, some patients will have specific conditions to take into account prior to undertaking this procedure and some of these are considered in the following sections.
Equipment
Whenever safe and possible, patients should always be encouraged to take the initiative to be as independent as possible in positioning themselves and changing their position in bed. If they do require assistance, sliding sheets should be used to assist patients to roll or change position in bed. Due to the slippery surface of the sliding sheet fabric, friction is reduced and patients can be moved or relocated with very minimal effort or discomfort (Ruszala and Alexander [113]).
Procedure guideline 7.1
