Lifting with family members

[ballardfam]

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?

[GeneralDogsbody]

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.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

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".

[RN1982]

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.

[TazziRN, RN]

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.

[RN1982]

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.

[KarynicaRN]

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..

[Fiona59]

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.

[BunnyRN]

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!!!

[BunnyRN]

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!!!:wink2:

[nurseingforlife]

We just explain to them it's hospital policy. If they question that we tell them the truth. That if they or the patient was hurt doing that transfer then the hospital will be liable. The company we bought our ceiling lifts from also provided us with brochures to hand out to famly and patients about safe patient handling. It basically explains the policy and why it's safer for patients to be transfered the correct way and even provides statistics from ANA and other organizations. I don't know if the company would provide the brochures to you to print if you don't buy lifts from them but maybe you could ask. The company is called Romedic. It has been a big help.

[Atheos]

Never let family members lift. If they get hurt, the facility will be sued.