Reimagining Patient Positioning: How SideLyer Empowers Physiatry Practices
As physiatrists, you understand better than anyone that recovery is all about function, comfort, and the daily realities of patient care. Yet, in every inpatient rehab, SNF, or LTAC setting, the same challenges surface over and over: preventing pressure injuries, maintaining mobility safely, and optimizing staff time in a world of staffing shortages and rising acuity.
The SideLyer™ Patient Repositioning System was designed precisely with those realities in mind. Ahead of this year’s AAPM&R Annual Assembly in Salt Lake City, it is worth exploring how SideLyer is helping PM&R teams rethink positioning and pressure injury prevention - and why it is quickly becoming a valuable partner in the continuum of rehabilitation care.
1. Reducing Pressure Injury Risk Without Disrupting Therapy Workflow
Pressure injuries remain one of the most persistent and costly complications in post-acute care, directly affecting discharge timelines and outcomes scores. Traditional turning protocols require multiple staff and may interrupt therapy sessions.
SideLyer™ enables precise repositioning with the touch of a button, allowing patients to rest, heal, or continue therapy without the strain of manual turns. For physiatrists managing complex cases, it means the ability to focus on the primary goals of therapy with fewer interruptions.
2. Supporting Staff Safety
One of the biggest frustrations physiatry leaders report is staff fatigue and turnover linked to physical strain from manual handling. SideLyer is an electromechanical system designed to relieve that burden. With its integrated lift and intuitive controls, it allows a single caregiver to reposition patients of up to 400 lbs.
For PM&R directors and rehabilitation unit chiefs, this translates into measurable lower injury rates, descreased workers compensation claims, and opportunity for greater staff retention – allowing them to focus more on therapeutic engagement and less on repetitive lifting.
3. Helping to Increase Patient Dignity
Functional positioning is not just about comfort; it is foundational to neuro and musculoskeletal recovery. SideLyer can be leveraged to promote gradual self-participation, allowing patients to assist in their turns, re-position themselves autonomously, and increase their sense of dignity.
For the physiatrist, this can translate into a more integrated approach to therapy and daily care, where even routine repositioning becomes part of the rehabilitation process.