Cna incident investigation

[Nnb07]

I need some advice on what will happen to me. I am a cna and recently I was involved with an incident that resulted in the resident falling from the stand up lift and breaking her hip. I was helping an aide transfer a resident from the chair to the bed and when the resident was standing up in the lift, I asked the aide if it was ok for me to go on break and she said yes. I left before the resident was transferred in bed and she was still standing. When I came back from break she told me the resident fell from the lift when I wasn't there.

The facility sent the information to the attorney general and department of health for nys.

I was suspended from work and I understand I am in big trouble but does anyone know the process or what will happen? Will I lose my certification and can I continue nursing school?

I know now I shouldnt have left and I really regret it and I'm so upset that the patient fell I feel so bad. But I don't know what to do and I can't stop thinking about this. Does anyone have any advice or information on what will happen?

[MunoRN, RN]

I have never worked in a hospital that required two persons to use a lift, for those that have, what does the second person do?

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

LMAO! Says the poster following me around just to post subliminal messages in other threads.

You did the exact same thing you were fake upset about.

So again, you going to address the issue of the thread or play post police?

It's not necessary to get so hysterical at the mere suggestion that others disagree with you. This is the internet, where people with various backgrounds are posting their experiences. Reasonable, prudent, seasoned caregivers (some with far more years in the trenches than you) have had different experiences than you.

It's very clear to me that this is a facility driven practice, not a one size fits all and if I scream loud enough everyone will cower and cry out that I'm right.

In my 22 years spent as a nurse, I've observed that the answer to whether or not 2 people are required to work a given lift is that IT DEPENDS. It DEPENDS on facility policy, and even more important than that, it DEPENDS on patient condition, it DEPENDS on the skill of the caregiver, the patient's weight and ability to assist in their own care. And possibly other factors as well. Reasonable and prudent as always...

There you go!

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I have never worked in a hospital that required two persons to use a lift, for those that have, what does the second person do?

At the end of the day, if it comes down to litigation, one of the first things a personal injury attorney will do (I used to work for one back in the day) is get a hold of the manufacturer's manual for the various devices. If the manufacturer recommends that two people operate the lift at all times, that will go a long way to determine the caregiver's legal liability.

[MunoRN, RN]

At the end of the day, if it comes down to litigation, one of the first things a personal injury attorney will do (I used to work for one back in the day) is get a hold of the manufacturer's manual for the various devices. If the manufacturer recommends that two people operate the lift at all times, that will go a long way to determine the caregiver's legal liability.

It's certainly part of it, but I can't find any manufacturers recommendations that require 2 caregivers for typical use of a lift. From the Invacare Stand Up Patient Lift manual: The stand up lift may be used by one healthcare professional for all lifting preparation, transferring from and transferring to procedures with a cooperative partial weight bearing patient". The Hoyer lift manual specifies a second caregiver should be used when "negotiating a slope", but is not a general recommendation.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

It's certainly part of it, but I can't find any manufacturers recommendations that require 2 caregivers for typical use of a lift. From the Invacare Stand Up Patient Lift manual: The stand up lift may be used by one healthcare professional for all lifting preparation, transferring from and transferring to procedures with a cooperative partial weight bearing patient". The Hoyer lift manual specifies a second caregiver should be used when "negotiating a slope", but is not a general recommendation.

I hope I didn't imply that I had any knowledge of any manufacturer requiring two people to operate their lifts safely. I was simply making the point that a good PI attorney will be looking at that (and facility policy) before you can even say boo.

[Medic/Nurse, BSN, RN]

Most every bad decision I've ever made I've been tired, hungry, cold or had to pee/poop something fierce.

We are human.

OP, I wish you the best.

There were 2 if you in that equation. Good luck.

Keep us posted.

:angel:

[DextersDisciple, BSN, RN]

I've honestly never worked in a nursing facility that didn't require two persons for a lift transfer. Yes, I'm sure it's done in homes and maybe even assisted living facilities, but every hospital and nursing home I've been at had a policy that everyone who needed a Hoyer or sit-to-stand lift was a two-person transfer. This was for the safety of both the patient/resident and the staff.

I couldn't help noticing that the patient using the sit-to-stand in the first picture was wearing only socks, not shoes. The error glared out at me because THAT is unsafe. I once wrote up an aide for transferring a resident that way who slipped and fell partway out of the lift. That aide was my son. He's an LPN about to graduate from his RN program, and he never forgot that nor did it again.

Is it weird that I love how you wrote up

Your son? 😂

[ComeTogether, LPN]

These types of devices are meant to be used by one person, but I suspect your facility policy requires two. Deep breath, live and learn.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

Heres what the user manual says for the sit to stand "

The stand up lift may be operated by one healthcare professional for all lifting preparation, transferring from and transferring to procedures with a cooperative, partial weight-bearing patient. However, since medical conditions vary, Invacare recommends that the healthcare professional evaluate the need for assistance and determine whether more than one assistant is appropriate in each case to safely perform the transfer.

The use of the patient lift by one assistant should be based on the evaluation of the healthcare professional for each individual case.".

Here's a link http://www.invacare.com/doc_files/1145811.pdf

Don't know where you work but 2 people have always been required for every patient in private, public, and federal government facilities I've worked/work at. The patient is a safety risk and unstable, hence the need for any lift in the first place. I can't accept there were no 2 staff required. But that's irrelevant, she was asked for help and basically quit before the patient was safe and as a result was hurt, full stop. The OP made it quite clear 2 people needed to be present but you're doing gymnastics on how many were required. OP was asked for help, she started to help, she left for some trivial reason, patient fell and was injured, she was suspended so there must be a policy in place to support the suspension, along with she left mid procedure basically. So your whole thesis on policy is flawed.

Your second paragraph just rewords what I already said so I won't address it.

[mtmkjr, BSN]

I read through this whole thread and I am surprised to see that no one question what happened during the transfer that led to the patient falling.

Was there a failure of the lift? As in defective?

Did the first CNA fail in some way to secure the patient? Straps not placed correctly? Did the CNA do something unsafe.....I'm not sure it is unsafe to change a person in a sit to stand lift, but I can imagine the pushing and pulling that might be needed to do that, could have been too much, definitely would not do that without a second person.

Did the patient's condition change during the transfer? Legs buckled, became too weak to stand? If so, I would question if it was appropriate to use this type of lift.

With all those questions, it sounds like the blame should not fall solely on the CNA who left the room. That was just one aspect of the breakdown in safety measures that led to injury. . If there is disciplinary action, the first CNA should be at a minimum equally responsible, because something happened during that transfer and it wasn't simply that the second person left.

In my facility we only use Hoyer lifts, and I would never do a transfer alone. I don't know enough about sit-to-stand lifts to know how comfortable I would be using it alone. I can imagine in a long-term facility or home care, it would be different once you know a patient well.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

When I worked as an aide, usually it was only one aide that operated a lift. PT recommended 2 people for the transfer of certain residents, but this was far more the exception than the rule. As a practice sense, it would take forever to get people up from naps, bathe certain residents, and get the residents ready for bed (I worked 2nd shift) if every lift transfer required 2 aides. I'm guessing OP left after this became silly, but I am wondering how things are done at your facility. Are 2 aides present for all lift transfers? If not, is this resident, specifically, supposed to be lifted with 2 staff present?

[Faster]

I wonder if there is a risk to your defense by posting your story online.