Summary
Highlights
The process begins by gathering supplies, including fitted sheets, lift sheets, soaker pads, flat sheets, and pillowcases. These are arranged in the order they will be used. Upon entering the room, introduce yourselves to the patient, explain the procedure, and ensure privacy by pulling curtains. Raise the bed to a comfortable working height.
Don gloves before handling dirty linens. Ask the patient to scoot closer and then roll them onto their side, maintaining coverage. Roll all dirty linens towards the middle of the bed, away from the patient. After this step, remove gloves and sanitize hands.
With clean hands, apply the fitted sheet, ensuring it is flat and wrinkle-free to prevent pressure sores. Next, apply the lift sheet, extending from the patient's shoulders to hips, fan-folding the excess towards the middle. Repeat this process with the soaker pad, aligning its fold with the center.
Ask the patient to roll back over to the clean side. At this point, the assistant removes the dirty linens that were rolled to the middle and places them in a linen bag. The assistant then removes gloves and sanitizes their hands.
The clean fitted sheet, lift sheet, and soaker pad are now pulled through from the other side and smoothed out, ensuring no wrinkles. The patient is then gently rolled back to the center of the bed, using the lift sheet for assistance.
The new top sheet is positioned at the foot of the bed, keeping the patient covered while the old top sheet is removed. The clean sheet is then pulled up, tucked in at the bottom with mitered corners, and a toe pleat is created to prevent pressure. The bed is returned to its lowest position, the call light is provided, and side rails are adjusted. Finally, the curtain is opened, and the patient is asked if they need anything else.