Lifting patients

[kc ccurn]

I am a nurse in the US, where many of us are injuring our backs having to lift and turn obese patients frequently. A coworker told me that in England there is a 'no lift law' where nurse's don't lift their heavy patients to save their backs and help retain nurses because of the shortage.

Is this true, and if so, how do we get it? =):chuckle

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

I have to add at my hospital we have no lift policy but we use hoists on all patients that require us to but I have to say I am not comlpetly sure that we are not injurying our necks and shoulders now. We always use 2 nurses to hoist one to guide hoist and one to aid patient, legs ect but I have to report that if I am the person moving the hoist I always feel an ache accross my neck and shoulders at the end of the day, especially as you can be continously hoisting.

Has anybody else had this experience

[safewaygreenbox]

Hi Kay

Yes I agree, the bending up and down and trying to get the hoist to go the right way etc etc can be hard on your back.

Kay the 2nd

[studious]

I have to add at my hospital we have no lift policy but we use hoists on all patients that require us to but I have to say I am not comlpetly sure that we are not injurying our necks and shoulders now. We always use 2 nurses to hoist one to guide hoist and one to aid patient, legs ect but I have to report that if I am the person moving the hoist I always feel an ache accross my neck and shoulders at the end of the day, especially as you can be continously hoisting.

Has anybody else had this experience

Yep! wer'e having the same problem. We complained to the boss, and now some of the carpeting has been changed to laminate flooring(of a kind, it's really linoleum that looks like carpet). It really does make a great difference. Have to make double sure the brakes are always on the beds though. In twenty years instead of lower back injuries due to lifting patients, us lot are all going to have dowagers humps, and no necks.

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

Yep! wer'e having the same problem. We complained to the boss, and now some of the carpeting has been changed to laminate flooring(of a kind, it's really linoleum that looks like carpet). It really does make a great difference. Have to make double sure the brakes are always on the beds though. In twenty years instead of lower back injuries due to lifting patients, us lot are all going to have dowagers humps, and no necks.

I aggree because what we are seeing is back injuries moving upwards, we are scuppered what ever we do lol