Chapter 3. Lifting and Moving Patients

Question 1

What should you consider before lifting any

patient?

Answer 1

-The object: Its weight and whether it would require
additional help to lift
-Your limitations
-Communication: Make a plan and communicate it with
your partner.

Question 2

What are the rules for lifting?

Answer 2

• Position your feet properly.
• Use your legs.
• Never turn or twist.
• Do not compensate when lifting with one hand.
• Keep weight as close as possible to your body.
• Use a stair chair when carrying patient on stairs whenever possible.

Question 3

What should you do when reaching?

Answer 3

• Keep back in a locked-in position.
• Avoid twisting while reaching.
• Avoid reaching more than twenty inches in front of body.
• Avoid prolonged reaching when strenuous effort is required.

Question 4

What should you do when pushing or pulling?

Answer 4

Push, rather than pull, whenever possible.

• Keep back locked in.
• Keep line of pull through center of body.
• Keep weight close to body.
• If the weight is below your waist, push or pull from kneeling position.
• Avoid pushing or pulling overhead.
• Keep your elbows bent and arms close to your sides.

Question 5

Urgent moves: Moving a patient onto a long spine

board

Answer 5

• Used if immediate threat to life and suspicion of spine injury
• Patient supine, log-roll onto side
• Place spine board next to body; log-roll onto board.
• Lift onto stretcher.
• Secure to stretcher; load into ambulance.

Question 6

What are emergency moves?

Answer 6

• The scene is hazardous.
• Care of life-threatening conditions requires repositioning.
• You must reach other patients.

Question 7

Urgent moves: rapid extrication

Answer 7

-Used when taking time to immobilize the patient with short backboard or vest
before moving patient may cause a deadly delay
-Stabilize spine manually as patient is moved onto a long spine board.

Question 8

What are non-urgent moves?

Answer 8

• Patient stable
• No immediate life threat
• Patient can be assessed, treated, and moved in normal way.
• Take all required precautions not to aggravate existing conditions.

Question 9

What are the different Patient-Carrying devices?

Answer 9

-Stretcher or any other device designed to carry the patient safely to the
ambulance and/or to the hospital
-Wheeled stretchers
-Power stretchers
-Manual stretchers
-Bariatric stretchers
----Some rated to carry patients weighing 800 pounds or more.
-Stair chairs
--Useful where stretchers cannot be easily maneuvered
-Spine board
--Short
---Primarily for removing patients from
vehicles when neck or spine injury is
suspected
--Long 
-Other types of stretchers
--Portable stretcher
--Scoop stretcher
--Basket stretcher
--Flexible stretcher
--Vacuum mattress

Question 10

How to Move Patients onto Carrying device with suspected spine injury?

Answer 10

-Patient with suspected spine injury
-Immobilize head, neck, and spine before move.
-Perform manual stabilization.
-Place a rigid cervical collar.
-Maintain manual stabilization until the
patient is immobilized to spine board.

Question 11

How to Move Patients onto Carrying device with no suspected spine injury?

Answer 11

• Extremity lift
• Used to carry patient to stretcher or stair chair
• Can be used to lift patient from ground or from sitting position.
• Direct ground lift
• Lifting from ground to stretcher
• Draw-sheet method
• Direct carry method

Question 12

What is the patient positioning for shook?

Answer 12

• Place patients believed to be in shock in supine position
• Do not lower head
• Do not raise legs

Question 13

How to Transfer the Patient

to a Hospital Stretcher

Answer 13

-When you arrive at the hospital, you will move the patient from the ambulance stretcher to the hospital
stretcher.
-Modified draw-sheet method