Let’s recap, picking up from the last blog post, you may recall we touched upon the pre-use sling inspection, the safety check performed by the caregiver prior to the sling application for the lift and transfer.
The sling is clean for a dignified lift and transfer
The sling is clean for the individual’s comfort
The sling is clean to reduce the risk of an infection
Launderable slings should only be used by a single patient or resident and washed when soiled. With regards to using slings between patients or residents, caregivers should ensure slings are clean and should also be aware of and follow their organizational infection control policies procedures and protocols related to sling use and care. If using disposable slings, caregivers should be aware that these slings cannot be laundered and need to be removed from circulation when they become soiled, damaged, or no longer required by the individual.
Prior to sling application, the caregiver needs to check the sling to ensure it is the correct sling style, and size for the patient or resident. The caregiver also needs to ensure the individual does not exceed the sling’s safe working load (SWL).
Why? It’s important for caregivers to be aware that there are numerous factors that will impact the integrity of the sling. Given that slings will deteriorate over time and with use, misuse, and/or from the washing and drying process the sling will need to be inspected to ensure it is safe to use.
Taking the time to perform the visual sling check prior to each use is important and can potentially prevent painful and costly injuries.
Slings that do not pass the pre use sling inspection should be removed from circulation as per the organizations policies, procedures, and protocols.
Worn out with holes, rips, tears, loose stitching, or frays
Are discoloured
Damage to Velcro, loops, clips, or buckles
Missing pieces such as straps
Have knotted loops or straps
Questionable in the eyes of the caregiver
Another sling inspection process that you may or may not be familiar with is the Sling Audit, which differs from the pre-use sling inspection. The pre-use sling inspection is performed prior to each sling use at the point of care and the sling audit, is a standardized and documented sling inspection process, the frequency of which may be defined by your organization.
Handicare recommends that sling audits be conducted once every year.
This formalized process which captures information such as sling manufacturer, sling style, size, serial number, and documents damage to the components of the sling for example has many benefits.
It’s evident that both the visual pre-use sling inspection and the standardized and documented sling audit are important safety strategies. Ensuring slings are available, are appropriate for the patient or resident’s needs, are used correctly, and are clean and in good working order will benefit the patient, resident, caregiver, and organization.
And I think you may agree with the words of Benjamin Franklin, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
If you are interested in learning more about sling inspections and audits, please feel free to connect with us at Handicare.
Acute Care
Sometimes, finding the right sling can feel overwhelming with all the different styles, sizes, and fabrics to choose from. With a fresh start to the year, we thought it would be ideal to revisit the fundamentals for selecting a sling. We hope this simplifies the sling selection process for you to make everyday life easier. There […]
In our last blog post we walked you through the basic steps involved in the sling selection process. To recap, the selection of a sling as with all safe patient handling and mobility solutions requires a through clinical assessment, risk assessment, and sound clinical judgement. This month we will guide you through the steps and tips and […]
Now that we’ve covered the sling basics on how to select, inspect and apply slings, let’s take a closer look at the various sling styles. As you may recall from the 5 Steps to Choosing the Right Sling for Patient Transfers, slings can be grouped into a few basic categories. There are slings for seated transfers, toileting, positioning, […]
