Providing the right supplies for these patients is essential for quality care. Additionally, staff can better attend to patients' needs while maintaining their own health when using proper ergonomics and the right equipment.

We are continually seeing an increase in the number of obese patients presenting to hospitals. These patients are not necessarily surgical patients but present with a variety of medical needs and can be seen throughout a health care facility.

There is truly a commitment to serving this patient population. And while there?s a cost associated with it, I have not seen any reluctance to purchase this equipment because healthcare organizations, the ones I work with, are very committed to providing quality care to those that they serve and also providing the proper equipment to protect the healthcare workers that take care of these patients.

It's been a trend probably for the last four or five years. Hospitals are continuing to see an increase in obese patients, and it affects every department. You have to think of the patient from head to toe, everything they do in the hospital until they walk out the door or they die.