{"id":4276,"date":"2025-07-22T10:18:20","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T09:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/?p=4276"},"modified":"2025-07-22T10:18:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T09:18:21","slug":"manual-turning-vs-tidewave-5-benefits-for-healthcare-and-caregivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/en\/manual-turning-vs-tidewave-5-benefits-for-healthcare-and-caregivers\/","title":{"rendered":"Manual turning vs. Tidewave: 5 benefits for healthcare and caregivers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\">Manual turning of patients is a routine task in the healthcare system, but also one of the most resource-intensive. On average, each repositioning requires two employees, and this often happens every two hours \u2013 around the clock. With today&#8217;s resource shortage in the healthcare system, it is crucial to find smarter and more sustainable solutions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">One option that is getting more and more attention is <span class=\"s1\"><b>Tidewave \u2013 a mattress with continuous movement<\/b><\/span> that does the job for caregivers. In this article, we compare traditional manual turning with Tidewave, and take a closer look at <span class=\"s1\"><b>5 key benefits<\/b><\/span> \u2013 both financially and in terms of quality of life for staff and patients. <\/p>\n<h2><b>1. Resource use and personnel costs<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p3\">Manual turning requires significant staffing. According to health professionals, an average of <span class=\"s2\"><b>5-10 minutes are spent per turn<\/b><\/span>, and this should happen   <span class=\"s2\"><b>every 2 hours <\/b><\/span>, around the clock. For one patient, this means up to 12 repositionings a day, and thus <span class=\"s2\"><b>up to 2 hours of work per day<\/b><\/span> \u2013 just on repositioning. <\/p>\n<h3><b>Costs of manual turning:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">2 employees per turn \u00d7 12 times a day \u00d7 5\u201310 minutes = 2\u20134 hours per patient per day.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">At an average cost of EUR 40\/hour, this is EUR<span class=\"s1\"><b> 80\u2013160 per patient per day<\/b><\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p3\">With Tidewave, the process is automated. The mattress repositions the patient gradually and continuously throughout the night \u2013 <span class=\"s2\"><b>without the need for manual effort<\/b><\/span>. <\/p>\n<table style=\"height: 252px;\" width=\"945\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>Activity<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>Manual turning<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>Tidewave<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">Number of turns\/day<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">12<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">0 (automatic)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">Time spent per day<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">2-4 hours<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">0 hours<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">Employees involved<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">2 per turn<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><b>2. Working environment and strain on caregivers<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p3\">Manual turning is not only time-consuming \u2013 it is also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nsf.no\/arbeidsvilkar\/fakta-om-sykepleiernes-arbeidsmiljo\" rel=\"noopener\">physically taxing<\/a>. Many caregivers report <span class=\"s2\"><b>neck, back and shoulder pain<\/b><\/span>, and musculoskeletal disorders are among the most common causes of sick leave in the healthcare sector. <\/p>\n<h3><b>Disadvantages of manual turning:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">Increased risk of repetitive strain injuries.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">Higher sickness absence and the use of substitutes.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">Reduced job satisfaction and higher turnover.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p3\">With Tidewave, the caregivers do not have to perform heavy lifting and repetitive movements. This provides a <span class=\"s2\"><b>better working environment<\/b><\/span>, fewer sick days and increased well-being. <\/p>\n<table style=\"height: 228px;\" width=\"944\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>Risk<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>Manual Turning<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>Tidewave<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">Back\/shoulder injuries<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">High risk<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">Minimal risk<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">Night work with lifting<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">Yes<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">No<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">Sickness absence related to workload<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">Frequent<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p class=\"p1\">Reduced<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><b>3. Patient comfort and sleep quality<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p3\">Frequent manual turns disrupt the patient&#8217;s sleep, especially at night. Many patients in need of regular repositioning \u2013 such as stroke patients, people with dementia or immobilised people \u2013 <span class=\"s2\"><b>are woken up regularly<\/b><\/span>, which affects both sleep and recovery. <\/p>\n<h3><b>Tidewave&#8217;s solution:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">Gradual and continuous turning.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">No need to wake the patient.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">Increased sleep quality and fewer complications such as pressure ulcers.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p3\">The result is that patients <span class=\"s2\"><b>sleep better and feel safer<\/b><\/span>, which also reduces the need for medication and supervision.<\/p>\n<h2><b>4. Increased time for care and relationships<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p3\">When large parts of the caregivers&#8217; time is spent on heavy routine tasks such as turning, there is less time for patient-related care and human contact. Automation through Tidewave frees up valuable time. <\/p>\n<h3><b>Benefits for caregivers:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">More time for conversations, observation and personal care.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">Increased focus on prevention rather than firefighting.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">Better relationship between patient and carer.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p3\">In a sector characterised by a fast pace and understaffing, this provides an important boost to both <span class=\"s2\"><b>the quality of life of employees<\/b><\/span> and the patients&#8217; experience of care.<\/p>\n<h2><b>5. Financial sustainability in healthcare<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p3\">Although Tidewave involves an investment cost, the payback time is short. When calculating winnings such as: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">Reduced need for night shifts<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">Lower sickness absence<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">Fewer pressure ulcers and associated treatment<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">Better use of resources<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">&#8230; the figures show that <\/span><b>Tidewave quickly pays off<\/b><span class=\"s1\">.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Conclusion: Is it time to turn away from manual turning?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\"><b>Manual turning is an expensive, time-consuming, and burdensome practice<\/b><\/span> \u2013 both for the economy and for the people who work in the healthcare system. With automated solutions such as <a href=\"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/en\/the-tidewave-solution\/\">Tidewave<\/a> , it is possible to <span class=\"s2\"><b>increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve quality of life<\/b><\/span> \u2013 both for employees and patients. <\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">At a time when the healthcare system is under pressure from all sides, it is not only smart, but also necessary, to invest in technology that solves the heavy tasks and allows people to do what they do best: being present for others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Manual turning can be demanding and expensive. See how Tidewave reduces costs and improves quality of life for caregivers and patients in healthcare. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3812,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4276"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4278,"href":"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4276\/revisions\/4278"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tidewave.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}