Eleganza 5: Patient Mobilisation - Find Out More

Eleganza 5 in 5. Part 1: Patient Mobilisation

This is the first in a series of five posts with accompanying videos, each of which focuses on how the Eleganza 5 bed can help with a particular aspect of patient care.

We appreciate how busy you are and because of this, we’ve kept things short. It will take less than 5 minutes to either read this post or watch the video.

Here, we look at the importance of preventing complications of immobility and promoting early mobilisation.

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Eleganza 5: Patient Mobilisation – 5 Key Facts in 5 Minutes

1. Humans are Designed to be Upright

The human body has evolved to function optimally when we’re upright about 16 hours a day and lying supine 8 hours a day.

Lying down permanently has a detrimental effect on all our body systems.¹ There are links on this page to other posts which explain this in more detail. Alternatively, we have an externally verified Continuing Professional Development course on the consequences of immobility – please contact us for more information.

2. Early Mobilisation is Highly Beneficial

The benefits of early mobilisation of patients have been demonstrated in campaigns such as the “end PJ paralysis” campaign. This campaign, which focused on getting patients up, dressed and moving, showed that there was a reduction in falls, length of stay and pressure ulcers, along with an improvement in patient experience. It gained the NHS 710,000 days by mobilising patients sooner.²

The Eleganza 5 bed is designed to promote early mobilisation and help reduce complications of immobility:

3. Upright Chair Position

A single auto-chair button positions the patient into a full upright seated position. This enables a patient, who has previously been lying supine, to get used to being more physiologically upright prior to mobilisation. It also offers gravitational benefits and makes eating, drinking and interaction easier.

4. Feet Flat on the Floor for Mobilisation using Lateral Tilt

A single mobilisation button on the Eleganza 5 bed raises the backrest and moves the bed to its lowest height with the patient’s legs flat. This provides an optimal position for moving to sitting and then standing positions.

For safe mobilisation, it’s vital that the patient’s feet are flat and securely on the floor. If they are not, the lateral tilt function on the bed can be used to achieve this.

Additionally, before mobilisation, it’s prudent to put the patient’s mattress into auto-firm mode.

5. Mobi-lift Aids Mobilisation

The Mobi-lift is a pull-up handle which can be used to help the patient stand and exit the bed. It provides extra stability and has height adjustment buttons. Patients who are able can use the buttons to place the bed at an optimum height for safe mobilisation.

In summary, prolonged periods of lying supine exacerbate complications of immobility and early mobilisation is known to be beneficial. The Eleganza 5 bed offers a unique combination of features which allow patients to benefit from earlier upright positioning and mobilisation.