Patient handling and transfers

Question 1

what should you do when you assess before moving a patient

Answer 1

1. Observe the situation: walk into the room and thin 1st where are you moving them
2. Ask questions: EI ask them how they have moved in the past and how much help they need
3. Take measurements: for instance height of surfaces
4. Patients height and weight: are they taller than you shorter than you etc
5. Patients ability to weight bear: are they able to weight bear and just not allowed to yet or are they unable to
6. Patients ability to help and follow directions: do they understand their limits and what is going on
7. USE GRAVITY TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

Question 2

What are some complexities to think about before moving a patient

Answer 2

1. environment
2. obstruction
3. surface/height of bed/chair
4. Position of equipment
5. Medical issues: weakness, paint
6. tubes/lines: do they have an O2 tank, catheter, etc
7. Unexpected issues
8. Falls
9. Combative/confusion in patients

Question 3

What are good body mechanics when moving a patient

Answer 3

• Position: use their strengths to your advantage
• Maintain line of gravity within Base of support
• Center of gravity of object close to your center of gravity – center of gravity is about S2
• Wide base of support
• Neutral spine with not BLT= bending lifting or twisting

Question 4

What are some advantages of proper body mechanics

Answer 4

• Conserves energy
• Reduces stress/strain to muscles, joints and ligaments
• Reduce potential for injury
• Produce safe movements of the spine

Question 5

What are some examples of technology that can be used for patient transfers?

Answer 5

Sit to stand devices
Patient handling equipment
Ceiling hoist system
Hovermatt

Question 6

What are the assistance levels and their ranges

Answer 6

• Independent: can do things completely by themselves
• Supervision: can do them but may need verbal or tactile cueing to do so properly
• Contact guard: PT contact on patient or gait belt but does no lifting
• Min assist: patient does 75% with assist of PT doing 25%
• Moderate assist: patient does 50-75% with assist of PT doing 25-50%
• Max assist: patient does 25-50% with assist of PT doing 50-75%
• Dependent: requires total assist of one or more PT

Question 7

What are examples of transfers VS bed mobility?

Answer 7

-Transfers: moving from one surface to another
- Bed to chair
- Chair to chair
- Sit to stand
- Floor to stand
- Blocking knees may be useful if the patients LE(s) are not reliable and the PT things one or both knees may buckle
- Bed mobility
- Moving from one bed position to another
- scooting(up/down or side to side)
- Rolling
- Supine to sit
- Sit to supine