Bariatric Care
Minimize Risk of Patient and Caregiver Injury
The prevalence of bariatric patients in healthcare settings is increasing, with obesity rates in the United States continuing to rise. Recent statistics indicate that over 42% of adults in the U.S. are classified as obese, and hospital admissions involving bariatric patients have significantly increased over the past decade.1
Safe patient handling tools are not only vital for the well-being of these patients but also for maintaining a safe work environment for healthcare providers. Proper use of these tools ensures that bariatric patients receive the necessary care with dignity and comfort while preventing injuries to staff, ultimately improving patient outcomes, improving patient satisfaction and reducing workplace injuries.
Additionally, these tools help in boosting patients in bed, turning them for hygiene and wound care, and conducting assessments with greater ease and efficiency. By minimizing the number of staff needed to perform these tasks, these tools help maintain proper ergonomics, reduce injury rates among staff, and improve overall care quality.
- Assessing the Bariatric Patient – With the help of air-assisted or non-air-assisted products, healthcare teams can perform thorough assessments of bariatric patients with ease. These tools facilitate turning patients for better examination, ensuring their comfort and maintaining their dignity throughout the process.
- Lateral & Vertical Transfer of Bariatric Patients – Preserving the dignity of patients while keeping them safe is vital in all healthcare settings, especially when caring for the bariatric population. Bariatric patients often require specialized equipment for safe and effective care. Lateral transfers, for instance, can be challenging due to the patient’s weight and size, posing a high risk for musculoskeletal injuries to the healthcare team. Safe patient handling tools, such as air-assisted and slings, facilitate smoother lateral transfers and reduce the physical strain on caregivers. In conjunction with air assisted technology, slings and mechanical lifts can provide similar strategies to relieve the burden on the healthcare team when caring for obese patients.
- Repositioning/Boosting – In the past, repositioning and boosting bariatric patients required significant physical effort and the help of additional staff due to the demands of patient care. However, with advancements in technology and safe patient handling tools, we can now reduce the number of caregivers needed for these tasks.
- Maintaining Dignity – By reducing the number of staff required for each task when caring for bariatric patients, we can help preserve the patient’s dignity and improve overall patient satisfaction.
- Bariatric Specific Tools – Bariatric patients come in a range of sizes and weights, and using specialized tools tailored to their needs should be the standard of care. Standard equipment is often inadequate for these patients and fails to fully meet their unique requirements.
Future Implications for Obesity
Per the World Obesity Federation, it is projected that the number of adults living with obesity will rise 1.53 billion by 2035. WOF also predicts that the cost of treating illnesses related to obesity will be an estimated $4 trillion per year by 2035.
1.World Obesity Federation. (2024). World obesity atlas 2024. https://www.worldobesity.org/news/world-obesity-atlas 2024#:~:text=Key%20Statistics%3A&text=88%25%20of%20children%20with%20overweight,to%201.53%20billion%20in%202035
