Hoyer slings

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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After using the Hoyer sling do you take it out from under the resident or leave it on?

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg.
After using the Hoyer sling do you take it out from under the resident or leave it on?

Depends.

If we are getting the resident up for a meal or otherwise in their wheelchair/gerichair, we leave the hoyer pad under. With one exception-- that horrible "toileting" sling that just goes under the arms and legs.

http://www.1800wheelchair.com/siteimages/large/HoyerUsling-1.jpg

Gads, it looks so unsafe.

If we are laying the resident down, we always take the sling out because we have to change, reposition, etc the resident.

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You should take it out unless the situation dictates otherwise. We had one resident who was so obese it was impossible to get it out and back again, so her sling was left under her. She was lucky to have a sling that was made of soft, comfortable (and worn) material. Some of the newer slings that are made of plastic would not be suitable for leaving under the patient.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg.
You should take it out unless the situation dictates otherwise. We had one resident who was so obese it was impossible to get it out and back again, so her sling was left under her. She was lucky to have a sling that was made of soft, comfortable (and worn) material. Some of the newer slings that are made of plastic would not be suitable for leaving under the patient.

I've sincerely never heard of a plastic sling before. All ours are cloth, and cause residents in wheelchairs no degree of discomfort.

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I saw one once and couldn't understand the reasoning behind it. I don't care how pliable the plastic, it is still plastic, and not as forgiving as some type of fabric.

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Depends on who you ask. The ADON tells us leave it in, the SDC's head pops off if she sees one under someone. Personally, I think it's safer to leave them under the resident. It has happened a few times that with a very large resident, who is pretty immobile, it's REALLY hard to get it under them properly to lift on the hoyer. I've gotten a couple up in the air, only to have them start to slide out of the sling by the butt!

Scary for them and for me. One we rushed into bed. THe other we had to lower to the floor and roll him into the sling from there. Neither one are ideal answers. If the sling was left under them in the chair and folded out of sight, neither of those situations would have happened. I've had a couple other interesting adventures trying to get a sling back under someone. Leaving them in the chair seems like the best answer to me.

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Specializes in Rehab and Alzheimer's.

My DON doesn't allow it because she says it's due to increased chances of skin breakdown. The DON also goes in behind us to make sure that we don't do it. Honestly, I think there are certain situations that call for it... Plastic sounds painful. Glad we don't have those.

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up in the wheelchair yes its under them. In bed it should NOT be. The rules per our facility, I agree.

If you didnt leave it under them in the W/c good luck getting it back in position to get them out of the chair.. at that point you might as well lift them up!

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Specializes in LTC.

If they're really heavy and really stiff, we leave it under them. Otherwise with all the struggle it takes to get a pad back under one of those people, by the time you got it under them they'd already have slid out of the chair. People who can lean forward and bend at the waist are fine getting it back under them. Especially if they have a fleshy butt!

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Specializes in 6 yrs LTC, 1 yr MedSurg, Wound Care.

If they're up in a wheel/geri chair, it stays under them. How else ate you going to get them back up? It doesn't seem to bother anyone unless it gets wrinkled up somehow or the straps slip. We don't leave them on in bed though.

We also put a sheet between the person and the lift pad, sometimes a chux (ours are cloth though) pad too.

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Specializes in LTC.
If they're up in a wheel/geri chair, it stays under them. How else are you going to get them back up?

Lean them forward in the chair, slide the pad down the back, tuck it under their butt a little bit (usually by grasping their pants with one hand and pushing the pad with the other), then pull the flaps through their legs.

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I reread my post, it did look like I meant leave them under the person in bed. I meant leave it in the chair under them. The only time it's under in bed is when you have a few to get up. So you dress them, leave the sling under, then find a coworker to spot you on the lift and do them all one after the other.

The SDC says slings in the chairs is a dignity issue. That may be true but then ones we leave it with are probably past noticing. I think the risk of a skin tear when you have to drag the thing out from under them is more likely than not. The ones who can't lean forward and shift their weight are in huge danger of a skin tear, no matter how careful you are. And putting it back later is about impossible.

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