Span America - Understanding Comfort Level Settings on Therapeutic Support Surfaces
Subject: Understanding the comfort level settings on Span‐America therapeutic support surfaces
Span‐America offers a variety of specialty support surfaces designed to provide proven pressure redistribution, alternating pressure, lateral rotation, and microclimate management. In addition to these therapies, Span surfaces are also designed to provide as high a level of comfort as possible. Comfort is especially important for patients with sleep/rest disruption and pain due to physical impairments, limited mobility, and disease states.
An important factor in support surface acceptability is the degree of comfort a patient experiences. Comfort is defined as there lie for reduction of pain, which is recognized as the fifth vital sign. Comfort, like pain, is subjective and personal.¹´²´³
Patients may have special comfort needs based on firmness preference, pain level, head of bed (HOB) elevation preference/requirements and other factors. The comfort setting on a Span powered surface is intended to be selected based on patient comfort preference, as detailed in the product owner’s manual. The comfort settings allow for micro‐adjustments to the air support system for customizing the feel of the mattress and increasing comfort without compromising its pressure redistribution (immersion/envelopment) properties.
¹Rithalia, S. Kenny, L., Mattresses and beds: reducing and relieving pressure. Nursing Time Vol. 96, Issue 36, Page 9
²Bryant, R., Pix, D., Acute and Chronic Wounds, Fourth Edition, Page 164
³Dought, D., McNichol, L., WOCN Wound Management, 2016, Page 375
PS COMFORT LEVEL SETTINGS, REV. 0 CO# 1336