5 Benefits of the Patient Transfer Scale
The Patient Transfer Scale was first brought to market in 2018. Following the initial launch of this device, we have had sales all over the world and it is now implemented in over 65% of NHS trusts. This Queen's Award winning innovation is the brainchild of Gillian Taylor. Gillian is a RGN with over 20 years experience working within the NHS.
During her time at the NHS, Gillian worked in a number of roles, however one issue remained the same, how to obtain accurate weights for immobile patients. Gillian knew that she wanted to change the culture within the NHS regarding guessing patient weights and believed that accurate weights should be obtained for all patients. Gillian went on to create the Patient Transfer Scale, to improve patient safety and outcomes. Read on to learn 5 benefits of the Patient Transfer Scale:
1) Get an accurate weight for your patient.
The most notable benefit of the Patient Transfer Scale is that it allows the healthcare professional to obtain an accurate weight for their patient. As noted above, Gillian developed the Patient Transfer Scale after working in the healthcare industry and being frustrated at the lack of weighing apparatus for immobile patients. The Patient Transfer Scale is a Class III approved weighing scale, meaning that the weights provided can be used for monitoring, diagnosing and treating patients.
2) Improve your MUST compliance.
MUST or the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool, is a five-step screening tool that is used to identify whether adults are malnourished, at risk of malnutrition or obese. MUST was developed in 2003 by the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) and is widely used across more than 80% of hospitals and care homes in England and 98% in Scotland. It has even been taken up in some nordic countries. An accurate weight reading is imperative within MUST scoring and the PTS can help with that.
3) Calculate accurate drug dosages.
A number of medications which are provided during NHS treatment are weight-based drugs. This means that in order to administer an accurate dose, a weight for the patient is required. Some commonly used weight dependent drugs include IV paracetamol, gentomycin, vancomycin and many more. If a weight-based drug is administerd without an accurate weight being obtained, this can lead to a dose which is too low, rendering it ineffective. Alternatively, this could lead to overmedicating the patient, which could lead to detrimental effects.
4) Weigh immobile patients in a dignified manner.
In regard to weighing immobile patients, there are a number of weighing devices on the market. However, none of them are dignified for the patient. For example, a hoist scale will lift the individual into a seated position and this can cause discomfort. Also, bed scales can be incredibly cumbersome to place under the castors and this can then draw attention to the patient in the bed. The Patient Transfer Scale can be used with the individual in their bed and in a timely manner.
5) The Patient Transfer Scale can be used during lateral transfer.
One of the main benefits of The Patient Transfer Scale is that it can be used during a lateral transfer. This weighing scale has been designed to be used specifically at the time of patient tranfser. For example, if a patient is being moved from a trolley to a hospital bed, that is the ideal moment to obtain a weight for records and the movement can be carried out with the Patient Transfer. Not only does this obtain a weight, it is part of an existing manual handling process, meaning that no additional training is required for members of staff.
In April of 2021, we received the amazing news that The Patient Transfer Scale had recieved the Queen’s Award for Innovation. This award win, backs up the importance of accurate weights for patients and helps to commend the amazing work done by the team at Marsden. Up next for the Patient Transfer Scale is to challenge current processes which are persistent within the NHS. With the Patient Transfer Scale, immobile patients can now have an accurate weight on record and guessing can stop. We understand that it will not be easy to achieve our goal, however we are incredibly driven to ensure that patient safety is improved for all.