Moving Patients

1. Moving Patients

2. Moving Patients Lesson Objective Select the correct patient handling procedures.

3. Overview: • Principles of Safe Reaching and Pulling • General Considerations in Moving Patients • Emergency Moves

4. Overview: cont. • Urgent Move • Non Urgent Moves • Stair Chair • Practice

5. Principles of Safe Reaching and Pulling Guidelines for reaching • Keep back locked • Avoid hyperextending back • Avoid twisting while reaching

6. Guidelines for reaching (cont.) • Avoid reaching >15-20 inches in front • Avoid providing strenuous support

7. Log rolls • Keep back straight while leaning over patient • Lean from hips • Use shoulder muscles to help with roll

8. Pulling Guidelines Push rather than pull when possible • Keep back locked • Keep line of pull to center of body • Bend Knees

9. Pulling Guidelines (cont) • Keep load close to body • Keep elbows bent and arms • close to side

10. Pushing Guidelines • Push from area between waist and shoulder • DO NOT use arms alone • Kneel to move objects below waist • Avoid bending over

11. General Considerations in Moving Patients • Moving should be unhurried • Bystanders must be given simple but detailed instructions • Consider number of times you lift or move patients • Reduce or eliminate the need for additional movements

13. Situations that warrant patient move prior to assessment and care: • Patient’s or your life in danger • Fire or danger of fire • Explosives or hazardous materials • Inability to protect pt from other hazards at scene

14. Situations that warrant patient move prior to assessment and care: (cont.) • Inability to administer care due to pt location/position • Moving one patient to get to another who need immediate care • Presence of shock, unconsciousness, inadequate respiration

15. Emergency Moves • Primary concern is aggravating spinal injury • Pull patient along axis of body

16. Emergency Moves • Move patients along the floor or ground by using: • Clothes drag • Blanket drag • Fire fighter’s drag

18. Emergency Moves • Carries • Fire fighter’s carry - prone position • Firefighter’s carry - supine • Use firefighter’s carries for semiconscious or unconscious patients with no neck or spinal injury

20. Emergency Moves • Front cradle • One person walking assist

22. Emergency Moves • One person technique is used when patient must be moved immediately • One person methods are for transfer only • Alwaysget help if possible

23. Urgent Move • Rapid Extrication”, its used when a patient must be quickly removed from a dangerous situation • Disadvantage is that it does not provide as much support as a spinal immobilization device

24. Non Urgent Moves • Direct Ground Lift - 3 person lift • Extremity lift • Lifting from a chair to a wheel chair

26. Stair chair • Used to transport patients up and down stairway • Facilitates patient transfer • Once you are out of stairs, transfer patient to conventional stretcher

28. Summary: • Principles of Safe Reaching and Pulling • General Considerations in Moving Patients • Emergency Moves

29. Summary: cont. • Carries • Urgent Move • None urgent moves • Stair chair