Health workers are increasingly adopting nursing pads to help them maintain their physical and mental health.
Key points:A recent report found nursing pads were becoming more common among the population in the United StatesMore than a third of nursing home residents now use a nursing pad to get some type of careA major shift is happening in how the nation’s healthcare system operatesMore than half of US households now use nursing pads as their primary care option, according to the most recent data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A new survey conducted by the American Nurses Association (ANA) found that more than half (52 per cent) of nurses and home health care workers are now using nursing pads.
However, the number of nursing homes using nursing beds dropped from 27 per cent in 2010 to 18 per cent by 2017, the survey said.
More than 4,000 nursing homes, which are the vast majority of US nursing homes are now operating on a net loss of beds as their numbers of residents has fallen from almost 3.5 million to just under 2.4 million.
Nursing home occupancy has also been on a steady decline since 2000, according the ANA survey.
The ANA report said there is a “shift” in the nursing home care landscape and said nursing home facilities were starting to shift to nursing pads for health care needs.
“There is a shift in the way nursing homes operate, and a shift away from a primary care model, which is to treat all of the residents as if they are their own patients,” said Dr Karen Smith, the executive director of the ANAC.
She said it was also important to keep in mind the nursing facilities are in a transition to a nursing home model.
“We’re moving towards a care delivery model,” Dr Smith said.
“It’s really a big shift from what we have seen in the past and is starting to happen more in nursing homes than in the rest of the healthcare system.”
Dr Smith said the use of nursing pads in nursing facilities was becoming more widespread and people were more aware of their needs.
However the biggest impact of the nursing pads trend is that it is making life easier for nurses, she said.
People are using the nursing beds to stay warm and get a good night’s sleep and also to stay hydrated, Dr Smith added.
Dr Smith is hopeful the nursing pad trend will continue.
“Nursings have been a big part of nursing for a long time and nursing has been really important to the people who work there,” she said .
“The change in nursing care in the last decade has really been a shift from primary care to nursing home.”
