AliTalks: Nurses Shouldn’t Have to DIY Patient Positioners

 

When patients are undergoing surgery, nurses work to ensure their patients are in the safest, proper position whether they’re lying on their back supine, face down prone, or even inverted in Trendelenburg position. To do this, healthcare providers use foam, gel, or bean bag positioners to properly support their patients, but some hospitals are using makeshift positioners that not only don’t work as well, but can even further injure the patient.

On this episode of AliTalks by AliMed, host Daniel Litwin broke down the issue of proper positioners with Mary Grace Hensell, former director at Allegheny General Hospital, an educator and medical legal consultant, and Steve Dunn, product manager for AliMed.

“Nurses are ingenious in a lot of ways to get a position situated for surgery. About 30 years ago, it was acceptable to position patients with pillows and foam,” Hensell said. “But as we’ve moved forward, we’ve found there are a lot more positioning agents out there to keep our patients safe. We really don’t need to make our own devices as nurses anymore.”

AliMed develops and delivers positioning solutions that improve patient outcomes, offering unique and innovative gel and foam products engineered to redistribute pressure, maximize stability, reduce shear, and improve imaging visualization.

AliMed’s positioners range from adult and bariatric to pediatric and neonatal to support all range of patients.

“It’s about the safety of the patient overall,” Dunn said.

In this episode, Hensell and Dunn also discussed the legal liability that comes with DIY positioners and how they’re helping raise awareness and education of proper positioners for healthcare facilities worldwide.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Healthcare Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @HealthMKSL
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Hospitality
Say “Yes” More: How Hospitality Can Win with Heart-First Leadership
July 2, 2025

As the hospitality industry emerges from years of pandemic-driven upheaval, leaders are looking for new ways to retain staff, elevate guest satisfaction, and drive revenue without burning out their teams. One trend gaining traction is the power of “Yes”: empowering employees to say yes more often, guided by creativity and compassion. According to a…

Read More
civic leadership
Mayor Gerard Hudspeth’s Civic Leadership Journey: What Politics Teaches About People
July 2, 2025

What does a mayor learn about human nature? In this episode of Professional Quotient: Conversations that Build Equity, host Jason Winningham sits down with Gerard Hudspeth, longtime mayor of Denton, Texas, and a respected figure in civic leadership. Drawing from his years in public service, Hudspeth explores how leading a city reveals the core…

Read More
sepsis
Debunking Sepsis Myths – Episode 1
July 1, 2025

In the first episode of The Michael Rothman podcast, we address misconceptions about sepsis in healthcare. Although it’s often claimed that sepsis accounts for nearly a third of hospital deaths, many of these deaths are linked to chronic conditions with sepsis as a secondary factor. The frequently cited statistic that delays in treating sepsis increase…

Read More
community building
Community Building Through Marketing—Powered by Showing Up and Staying Open
July 1, 2025

In this episode of Professional Quotient: Conversations That Build Equity, host Jason Winningham sits down with Alicia Layfield, founder of Casa Layfield, a boutique marketing agency in Houston, Texas. Alicia shares how she built her business from the ground up—not by following a perfect plan, but by showing up, staying open, and turning connections…

Read More