British journal of nursing (Mark Allen Publishing)
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Critically-ill patients who have sustained multiple traumatic injuries have complex, and often conflicting, physiological needs. These have profound implications on the way in which nursing staff approach the physical positioning of these patients to minimize the risks of further physiological injury and damage, maintain homeostasis and promote optimum recovery. ⋯ Included are guidelines on the therapeutic positioning of the multiply-injured trauma patient within the ICU, based on the current available evidence and also drawn from practical experience within the author's own place of work. There is also a brief discussion of how such guidelines may be introduced into clinical practice.