Lifting and Moving Patients

Question 1

What are the proper body mechanics for lifting and moving a patient

Answer 1

• Position your feet properly, shoulder-width apart.
• When lifting, use your legs, not your back, to do the lifting.
• When lifting, never twist or attempt to make any moves other than the lift.
• When lifting with one hand, do not compensate.
• Keep the weight as close to your body as possible.
• When carrying a patient on stairs, use a stair chair instead of a stretcher when possible.

When reaching:
Keep your back in a locked-in position.
Avoid twisting while reaching.
Avoid reaching more than 15 to 20 inches in front of your body.
Avoid prolonged reaching when strenuous effort is required.

When pushing or pulling:
Push, rather than pull, whenever possible.
Keep your back locked-in.
Keep the line of pull through the center of your body by bending your knees.
Keep the weight close to your body.

If the weight is below your waist level, push or pull from a kneeling position.
Avoid pushing or pulling overhead.
Keep your elbows bent and arms close to your sides.

Question 2

What are the different kinds of lifts and drags

Answer 2

extremity lift; 
direct ground lift,
draw-sheet method
direct carry method
shoulder drag
foot drag
“fireman’s drag,”
incline drag,
clothes drag,
blanket drag.

Question 3

What situations require the use of an emergency move

Answer 3

Emergency moves are those that may aggravate spine injuries and, therefore, are reserved for life-threatening situations.
•
The scene is hazardous. Hazards may make it necessary to move a patient quickly in
order to protect you and the patient. This may occur when there is uncontrolled traffic,
fire or threat of fire, possible explosions, electrical hazards, toxic gases, or radiation.
•
Care of life-threatening conditions requires repositioning. You may have to
move a patient to a hard, flat surface to provide CPR, or you may have to move a patient
to reach life-threatening bleeding.
•
You must reach other patients. When there are patients at the scene requiring care
for life-threatening problems, you may have to move another patient to access them.

Question 4

When is an Urgent Move Used

Answer 4

Urgent moves are used when the patient must be moved quickly but there is time to provide quick, temporary spinal stabilization.
•
The required treatment can only be performed if the patient is moved. A patient must be moved in order to support inadequate breathing or to treat for shock or altered mental status.
•
Factors at the scene cause patient decline. If a patient is rapidly declining because
of heat or cold, for example, he may have to be moved.

Question 5

bariatric

Answer 5

bariatric having to do with patients who are significantly overweight or obese.

Question 6

body mechanics

Answer 6

the proper use of the body to facilitate lifting and moving and prevent injury.

Question 7

direct carry

Answer 7

a method of transferring a patient from bed to
stretcher, during which two or more rescuers curl the patient to their chests, then reverse the process to lower the patient to the stretcher.

Question 8

direct ground lift

Answer 8

a method of lifting and carrying a patient from
ground level to a stretcher in which two or more rescuers kneel, curl the patient to their chests, stand, then reverse the process to lower the patient to the stretcher.

Question 9

draw-sheet method

Answer 9

a method of transferring a patient from bed to stretcher by grasping and pulling the loosened bottom sheet of the bed.

Question 10

extremity lift

Answer 10

a method of lifting and carrying a patient during
which one rescuer slips hands under the patient’s armpits and grasps the wrists, while another rescuer grasps the patient’s knees.

Question 11

power grip

Answer 11

gripping with as much hand surface as possible in

contact with the object being lifted, all fingers bent at the same angle, and hands at least 10 inches apart.

Question 12

power lift

Answer 12

a lift from a squatting position with weight to be lifted close to the body, feet apart and flat on the ground, body weight on or just behind the balls of the feet, and the back locked-in. The upper body is raised before the hips.Also called the squat-lift position.

Question 13

What is important about a long axis drag

Answer 13

A long-axis drag is a drag from the shoulders of the patient that causes the remainder of the body to assume its natural anatomical position, with the spine and all limbs in normal alignment.This emergency move minimizes or prevents aggravation of a spinal injury. = Emergency Move