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March 25, 2025
for clinicians
Not all patient transfer methods are created equally, and some are significantly more effective and safer than others. Investing in the right patient transfer device and ensuring proper training are crucial in improving patient outcomes and staff safety.
Patient transfers are an essential aspect of healthcare, playing a crucial role across virtually all medical specializations. Whether moving patients from bed to bed, transferring them to a stretcher, or repositioning them for comfort and treatment, these transfers are necessary for both patient care and medical procedures. To ensure safety and efficiency, healthcare providers rely on specialized patient transfer devices, which not only reduce the risk of injury for both patients and medical staff but also contribute to the overall success of various treatments and interventions.
However, not all patient transfer methods are created equally, and some are significantly more effective and safer than others. Investing in the right patient transfer device and ensuring proper training are crucial in improving patient outcomes and staff safety.
While often a mainstay in medical environments, traditional medical lifting devices pose serious risks to patients and staff. Any type of mechanical lift poses the risk of falls and drops if a patient is not secured properly or is uncooperative. Poorly positioned slings or transfer boards can cause friction, skin tears, discomfort, and pain for patients. When transferring frail or injured patients with a medical lift, improper positioning can restrict breathing, exacerbate injuries, or create new ones.
When a patient is precariously suspended during a transfer, the risk of injury increases due to potential equipment malfunctions. Issues such as battery depletion, hydraulic failures, broken components, or worn-out slings and straps can compromise the device and lead to dangerous situations for both patients and caregivers. Traditional medical lifting devices also pose logistics issues. They are large and bulky, making maneuvering difficult, not to mention being costly to obtain and maintain.
Another one of the common patient lift solutions, manual lifting by patients and staff, can be effective in some cases but pose serious risks. Staff injury is a major concern, with 25% of all workers’ compensation claims being patient handling injuries (AON). In addition, patients, especially injured ones, are at risk for injury during manual patient transfer because of the strain placed on their bodies, sudden movements, and the potential for slips, falls, or improper weight distribution. While manual patient transfers are commonplace in the medical environment, the risks they post far outweigh the benefits.
The SimPull was created in response to some of the commonly cited difficulties of both medical lifting devices and manual lifting processes. The SimPull’s functionality is designed to ease stress on both patients and staff. First, the SimPull’s drawbar is placed next to the patient and secured to the sheet that the patient is laying on. The device’s bumper is placed against the bed that the patient will be moving to, and a strap is secured to the drawbar. The SimPull then smoothly and seamlessly pulls the patient onto the second bed, requiring zero lift or pull from caregivers or staff.
What makes the SimPull beneficial when compared to traditional medical lifting devices or manual transfers? The device only requires two staff members to operate and takes an average of 4 minutes to complete a transfer, drastically reducing resources spent on each transfer and freeing them up for other patients. Patients remain safely in a laying position during the transfer process, reducing the risk of improper positioning during the transfer, and the slow and controlled nature of the transfer reduces the chance of sudden injury-causing movements. The SimPull device saves medical facilities $1,122 per 100 patient transfers, making it an efficient and cost-effective patient transfer solution.
Curious to learn how the SimPull can benefit your medical facility? We’d love to talk to you about it - reach out to us!
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