Prone positioning improves outcomes in awake COVID-19 patients

At Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, an interdisciplinary team of clinicians developed a prone positioning protocol for use with awake, non-intubated, oxygen-dependent patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 on medical–surgical units. The intent was to speed patient recovery and avoid deterioration and transfer to intensive care. The prone positioning protocol was found to be both feasible and well tolerated, and nearly all respondents reported improvements in patients' oxygen saturation levels. The team describes the protocol in an article in the October issue of the American Journal of Nursing.