Chapter 8 - Lifting & Moving Patients

Question 1

An EMT may injure his or her back, even if it is straight, if the:

Select one:

A. shoulder is aligned over the pelvis.
B. hands are held close to the legs.
C. back is bent forward at the hips.
D. force is exerted straight down the spine.

Answer 1

C. back is bent forward at the hips.

Question 2

As you and your partner are carrying a stable patient down a flight of stairs in a stair chair, you feel a sudden, sharp pain in your lower back. You should:

Select one:

A. reposition your hands and continue to move the patient.

B. stop the move and have the patient walk down the stairs.

C. guide your partner while moving the chair backward.

D. stop the move and request additional lifting assistance.

Answer 2

D. stop the move and request additional lifting assistance.

Question 3

In contrast to typical wheeled ambulance stretchers, features of a bariatric stretcher include:

Select one:

A. a collapsible undercarriage.
B. weight capacity of up to 650 lb.
C. increased stability from a wider wheelbase.
D. two safety rails on both sides of the stretcher.

Answer 3

C. increased stability from a wider wheelbase.

Question 4

It is essential that you ____________ your equipment to prevent the spread of disease.

Select one:

A. decontaminate
B. throw out
C. properly store
D. incinerate

Answer 4

A. decontaminate

Question 5

The _________ is both the mechanical weight-bearing base of the spinal column and the fused central posterior section of the pelvic girdle.

Select one:

A. coccyx
B. sacrum
C. ischium
D. thorax

Answer 5

B. sacrum

Question 6

The MOST serious consequence of a poorly planned or rushed patient move is:

Select one:

A. unnecessarily wasting time.
B. injury to you or your patient.
C. confusion among team members.
D. causing patient anxiety or fear.

Answer 6

B. injury to you or your patient.

Question 7

The proper technique for using the power grip is to:

Select one:

A. rotate your palms down.
B. position your hands about 6² apart.
C. hold the handle with your fingers.
D. lift with your palms up.

Answer 7

D. lift with your palms up.

Question 8

To facilitate a safe and coordinated move, the team leader should:

Select one:

A. speak softly but clearly to avoid startling the patient.
B. never become involved in the move, only direct the move.
C. use preparatory commands to initiate any moves.
D. be positioned at the feet so the team can hear.

Answer 8

C. use preparatory commands to initiate any moves.

Question 9

To minimize the risk of injuring yourself when lifting or moving a patient, you should:

Select one:

A. flex at the waist instead of the hips.
B. use a direct carry whenever possible.
C. avoid the use of log rolls or body drags.
D. keep the weight as close to your body as possible.

Answer 9

D. keep the weight as close to your body as possible.

Question 10

To protect a restrained patient and prevent him from using leverage to break free, the EMT should secure __________.

Select one:

A. both arms above the head
B. one arm above the head
C. both arms at the patient’s sides
D. only the patient’s torso

Answer 10

B. one arm above the head

Question 11

Upon arriving at the scene of a motor vehicle crash, you find a single patient still seated in his car. There are no scene hazards. As you approach the vehicle, you note that the patient is semiconscious and has a large laceration to his forehead. You should:

Select one:

A. direct your partner to apply manual in-line support of the patient’s head.

B. apply a vest-style extrication device before attempting to move the patient.

C. apply a cervical collar and quickly remove the patient with a clothes drag.

D. slide a long backboard under his buttocks and lay him sideways on the board.

Answer 11

A. direct your partner to apply manual in-line support of the patient’s head.

Question 12

When moving a conscious, weak patient down a flight of stairs, you should:

Select one:

A. secure the patient to a scoop stretcher and carry him or her headfirst down the stairs to the waiting stretcher.

B. place the wheeled stretcher at the bottom of the stairs and carry the patient down the stairs with a stair chair.

C. assist the patient in walking down the stairs and place him or her on the wheeled stretcher at the bottom of the stairs.

D. collapse the undercarriage of the wheeled stretcher and carefully carry the patient down the stairs on the stretcher.

Answer 12

B. place the wheeled stretcher at the bottom of the stairs and carry the patient down the stairs with a stair chair.

Question 13

When pulling a patient, you should extend your arms no more than ________ in front of your torso.

Select one:

A. 20 to 30 inches
B. 5 to 10 inches
C. 15 to 20 inches
D. 10 to 15 inches

Answer 13

C. 15 to 20 inches

Question 14

Which of the following conditions or situations presents the MOST unique challenge to the EMT when immobilizing an elderly patient on a long backboard?

Select one:

A. Patient disorientation
B. Naturally deformed bones
C. Joint flexibility
D. Abnormal spinal curvature

Answer 14

D. Abnormal spinal curvature

Question 15

Which of the following is the MOST appropriate device to use when immobilizing a patient with a suspected spinal injury?

Select one:

A. Scoop stretcher
B. Wheeled stretcher
C. Portable stretcher
D. Long backboard

Answer 15

D. Long backboard

Question 16

Which of the following statements regarding an emergency patient move is correct?

Select one:

A. It is not possible to perform an emergency move without injuring the patient.

B. The patient is dragged against the body’s long axis during an emergency move.

C. An emergency move is performed before the primary assessment and treatment.

D. The spine must be fully immobilized prior to performing an emergency move.

Answer 16

C. An emergency move is performed before the primary assessment and treatment.

Question 17

Which of the following statements regarding patient weight distribution is correct?

Select one:

A. The majority of a horizontal patient’s weight is in the torso.

B. Most of the patient’s weight rests on the foot end of the stretcher.

C. A semi-sitting patient’s weight is equally distributed on both ends.

D. The EMT at the patient’s head will bear the least amount of weight.

Answer 17

A. The majority of a horizontal patient’s weight is in the torso.

Question 18

You are attending to a 22-year-old female patient who has overdosed. The patient is unresponsive in an upstairs bedroom. The most appropriate way to bring the patient downstairs is:

Select one:

A. secured to a stair chair with the strongest provider at the foot end.

B. secured to a fracture board with the strongest provider at the foot end.

C. secured to a stair chair with the strongest provider at the head end.

D. secured to a fracture board with the strongest provider at the head end.

Answer 18

D. secured to a fracture board with the strongest provider at the head end.

Question 19

You are attending to a 26-year-old female who is 34 weeks pregnant with her first child. Your patient has been having lower abdominal pains and cramping for the past two hours. In placing your patient on the stretcher and preparing for transport, you should place her:

Select one:

A. in a position of comfort.
B. supine with her legs elevated.
C. on her left side.
D. in the Fowler position.

Answer 19

C. on her left side.

Question 20

You are attending to a 34-year-old male patient who requires transport to the hospital for assessment of his chronic back pain. The patient weighs over 750 pounds. Your bariatric stretcher has a wider surface area to allow for:

Select one:

A. better stability when moving the patient on uneven ground.

B. increased stability and leverage when lifting with more than two providers.

C. increased patient comfort and dignity.

D. increased lifting capacity and patient weight load.

Answer 20

C. increased patient comfort and dignity.

Question 21

What is the first rule of lifting?
A. Twist slowly when you lift.
B. Keep your back in a straight position.
C. Bend at the waist to pick something up.
D. Use your arms to do most of the lifting.

Answer 21

B. Keep your back in a straight position.

Question 22

When lifting a stretcher using the power lift, you should:
A. bend at the hips, knees, back, and arms.
B. bend at the waist and keep your back straight.
C. place your hands palms up on the litter handle.
D. place your hands palms down on the litter’s side bars.

Answer 22

C. place your hands palms up on the litter handle.

Question 23

It is impractical to apply a vest-type extrication device on a critically injured patient to remove him or her from a wrecked vehicle because it:
A. takes too long to correctly apply.
B. does not fully immobilize the spine.
C. cannot be used on patients who are in their car.
D. does not provide adequate stabilization.

Answer 23

A. takes too long to correctly apply.

Question 24

Proper guidelines for correct reaching include all of the following, EXCEPT:
A. avoiding twisting your back.
B. avoiding hyperextension of your back.
C. keeping the back in a locked-in position.
D. reaching no more than 30 inches in front of your body.

Answer 24

D. reaching no more than 30 inches in front of your body.

Question 25

An injured hang glider is trapped at the top of a large mountain and must be evacuated to the ground. The terrain is very rough and uneven. Which of the following devices would be the safest and most appropriate to use?
A. Stair chair
B. Stokes basket
C. Scoop stretcher
D. Long backboard

Answer 25

B. Stokes basket

Question 26

When two EMTs are lifting a patient on a long backboard, they should:
A. lift the patient from the sides of the board.
B. make every attempt to lift with their backs.
C. position the strongest EMT at the foot of the board.
D. position the strongest EMT at the head of the board.

Answer 26

D. position the strongest EMT at the head of the board.

Question 27

Which of the following techniques is considered to be an emergency move?
A. Extremity lift
B. Supine transfer
C. Firefighter’s drag
D. Direct ground lift

Answer 27

C. Firefighter’s drag

Question 28

To extract a patient from the basement of a building, you must transport the patient up a flight of stairs. In doing this, you must ensure that:
A. the elevated head of the backboard goes first.
B. the backboard with the elevated foot end goes first.
C. the backboard is slightly tilted to the left to distribute weight.
D. the patient’s feet are higher than his or her head, whichever end is carried first.

Answer 28

A. the elevated head of the backboard goes first.

about weight distribution

Question 29

If an injured patient needs to be moved but is not in immediate danger from fire or building collapse, you should first:
A. order the equipment you need for extrication.
B. check the patient’s airway, breathing, and circulation.
C. remove the patient with the rapid extrication technique.
D. determine the number of people you will need to move the patient.

Answer 29

B. check the patient’s airway, breathing, and circulation.

The only time your attention should be directed away from the primary assessment of the patient is when the patient’s life or your life is in immediate danger.

Question 30

The rapid extrication technique is a:
A. nonurgent move to remove a patient from a vehicle.
B. technique used to transfer a patient from a bed to a stretcher.
C. technique used to lift a patient with no suspected spinal injury onto a stretcher.
D. technique used to quickly remove a patient from a vehicle and onto a backboard.

Answer 30

D. technique used to quickly remove a patient from a vehicle and onto a backboard.

Question 31

An unrestrained patient is sitting in his car after an automobile crash. He is conscious and alert, has no visible trauma, and is complaining of neck and back pain. Before removing him from his car, you should:
Select one:
A. slide a scoop stretcher under his buttocks and rotate him laterally.

B. perform a detailed head-to-toe assessment and apply a cervical collar.

C. maintain manual stabilization of his head and grasp him by the clothes.

D. apply a cervical collar and immobilize him with a vest-style device

Answer 31

D. apply a cervical collar and immobilize him with a vest-style device

Question 32

You have two patients who were involved in a motor vehicle crash when their SUV struck a tree—one with neck and back pain, and the other with a deformed left femur. The patient with the deformed femur states that he does not want to be placed on a hard board, nor does he want a collar around his neck. What is the most appropriate and practical method of securing these patients and placing them into the ambulance?
Select one:
A.
Immobilize the patient with neck and back pain on a long backboard and place him on the squad bench; allow the patient with the deformed femur to sit on the wheeled stretcher.

B.
Immobilize both patients with a cervical collar and long backboard based on the mechanism of injury; place one on the wheeled stretcher and the other on the squad bench.

C.
Immobilize the patient with neck and back pain on a long backboard and place him on the wheeled stretcher; place the patient with the deformed femur on a folding stretcher secured to the squad bench.

D.
Apply a traction splint to the patient with the deformed femur and place him on the wheeled stretcher; place the patient with neck and back pain on the squad bench immobilized with a cervical collar and scoop stretcher.

Answer 32

C.
Immobilize the patient with neck and back pain on a long backboard and place him on the wheeled stretcher; place the patient with the deformed femur on a folding stretcher secured to the squad bench.

Question 33

The extremity lift would not be appropriate to use on a patient:
Select one:
A. without a spinal injury.
B. who complains of nausea.
C. with a deformed humerus.
D. with forearm lacerations

Answer 33

C. with a deformed humerus.