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Lifting with family members



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May 26, 2008 02:09 PM

Lifting with family members


Pardon if this has been recently addressed but I'm new.

Anyone with strong opinions on lifting (eg. turns.transfers) with non staff. I know that sometimes family members, especially those who care for a patient at home, are better lifters. However, I'm concerned not only about following hospital protocol (and thus having any potential injury "sanctioned") but also about getting too casual about who helps me. So I rarely to never allow anyone to assist me who isn't an employee. Unless they've been trained by the PT dept for care of the patient at home. Plus, my rule means I don't have to make judgement on who might be or not be safe. It can cause some family members to become offended no matter how I try to explain that it has nothing to do with their abilities because I am not assessing their abilities.

Am I too paranoid? Anyone else have a standard of who they'll allow to help? And a way to gently insist to families?


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11 Comments
No. 1
Old May 26, 2008, 02:21 PM

Default Re: Lifting with family members
If you lift in hospital with a non employee of the hospital and an accident happens then does that not affect the insurance? It certainly would here.
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No. 2
Old May 26, 2008, 02:24 PM

Default Re: Lifting with family members
Best practice? Don't allow family members to lift, even if they are trained and do it all the time at home. This is not their job in the hospital, and as handy as it may be to have someone close by at all times who knows how, allowing them to assist with lifts and transfers opens the facility (and you) to the possibility of legal action if the person or the patient is injured.

BTW, you can always tell the families who insist on helping that it's "hospital policy".
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No. 3
Old May 26, 2008, 04:11 PM

Default Re: Lifting with family members
I don't allow family members to help me lift. I know they have the best intentions by trying to help. But I would rather keep my license. If families question me when I say that I do not want them to help I come out and tell them why. I say "If you hurt yourself while helping me, I could lose my job and my license" I usually only say that when they get offended that I refused their help.
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No. 4
from TazziRN
Old May 26, 2008, 04:29 PM

Default Re: Lifting with family members
I became injured because a family member insisted on helping us lift a loved one out of a vehicle. I kept telling him to let go of the board, that we had it, but he kept grabbing it. At one point he heaved when we hoed, and I got my back wrenched. I was not a happy camper. Later, in x-ray, the tech said the guy kept trying to step in there to "help" too.
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No. 5
Old May 26, 2008, 05:28 PM

Default Re: Lifting with family members
Originally Posted by TazziRN View Post
I became injured because a family member insisted on helping us lift a loved one out of a vehicle. I kept telling him to let go of the board, that we had it, but he kept grabbing it. At one point he heaved when we hoed, and I got my back wrenched. I was not a happy camper. Later, in x-ray, the tech said the guy kept trying to step in there to "help" too.
I love when people try to "help". They are more in the way when they "help". Hey Tazzi, did you tell him that you hurt your back because of his "help"? I was just wondering what his reaction was.
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No. 6
from KarynicaRN
Old May 28, 2008, 08:02 AM

Default Re: Lifting with family members
I had an oncology nurse (RN) ask me to help move my mother in law in bed one time. MIL was dying and since I was a nurse, I went ahead and helped out. At the time I wasn't even thinking about hospital rules etc. I just knew she needed to be turned and there was no help for the nurse. Maybe policy is different in each hospital..hmmm. don't know if I will be helping move another family member..
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No. 7
from Fiona59
Old Jun 01, 2008, 08:48 PM

Default Re: Lifting with family members
I won't do it. Workers Compensation has been known to deny claims if family were involved. I've even heard of families suing the hospital when they claimed to have been injured "helping" the nurse. So no, I just tell them hospital policy requires two or more staff to transfer and lift.
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No. 8
from BunnyRN
Old Jun 02, 2008, 07:45 PM

Default Re: Lifting with family members
I will not lift patients with family members for patient, family, and my safety. I hate writing incident reports, imagine having to write one which could have been avoided. I usually get assisted by my nursing assistant, or fellow nurses. Remember proper body techniques!!!
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No. 9
from BunnyRN
Old Jun 02, 2008, 07:47 PM

Default Re: Lifting with family members
Originally Posted by Michigan RN View Post
I don't allow family members to help me lift. I know they have the best intentions by trying to help. But I would rather keep my license. If families question me when I say that I do not want them to help I come out and tell them why. I say "If you hurt yourself while helping me, I could lose my job and my license" I usually only say that when they get offended that I refused their help.
This is the absolute truth!!!
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