We are delighted to have received the award of the Best Research Poster at the Society of Tissue Viability Conference, held in Glasgow this May.

Danielle Base, our own Specialist Occupational Therapist, authored the poster entitled: Preventative Strategies for Reducing Pressure Ulcers During Hoist Transfers.

The poster explores the development of a care strategy for the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers when transferring patients using a hoist and sling. Studies have show that force concentration on a patient’s skin can increase by 300% over normal and natural body weight force when using a sling.

This can lead to soft tissue damage particularly around the posterior and thigh areas in contact with the edges of the sling.

The project looked at solutions to reduce interface pressure, including using different moving and handling techniques and applying low-profile silicone gel padding to the sling.

A pressure mapping study featured on the project showed that the application of gel padding produced a 53.5% reduction in average interface pressure for the sling user.

We thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone as we showcased our pressure care products at the conference and thank the Society of Tissue Viability for this wonderful award.

Click here to find out more about our SlingGel products.