BathMat Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A trial of staff time with proned patients in the ICU using the ‘BathMat’
IRAS ID
333769
Contact name
Jerome Condry
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 29 days
Research summary
Proning is a way of helping people who are very sick and have trouble breathing. It involves lying patients on their front to get more oxygen into their body. This process happens in a part of the hospital called the Intensive Care Unit, and can last up to 16 hours per day.
When in this position, doctors need to turn the patients' head and move their arms every 2-4 hours. Doctors call this repositioning. It helps prevent sores as well as other injuries. he health care team slide the patient up the bed, so that their (supported) head hangs over the end of the mattress. The head is then turned before the patient is slid back down the bed; their arms are then moved into a different position. This is performed by 5+ staff and takes lots of time and resources. The process can also be dangerous because it requires a lot of movement which can hurt patients or staff.
To make repositioning easier and safer, a group of doctors and engineers have created a new device like a cushion that goes under the patient and inflates. This allows staff to reposition patients without needing to slide the patient on the bed.
We are planning to do a study with 30 patients in different hospitals in our region. This will last 14 months, and we will collect information on how well it performs. During the study, staff from each hospital will monitor the device to make sure it is safe and record how useful it is. As well as monitoring safety, we will record the time saving achieved. This is important as it allows repositioning more often, which reduces pressure sores. It also allows staff to spend more time focusing on other patients and important tasks.
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EE/0261
Date of REC Opinion
21 Jan 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion