Need reassurance

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Specializes in LTC.

I already know the answer to my question but I still need reassurance. I have a client that is 17 years old and 85 lbs of dead body weight. He has a bed similar to an over sized crib with bars that go up and down. Like the kind in the hospital on a peds unit. He also has a wheel chair. Any way I have a very hard time transferring him. Before I took the case I was told that he has a hoyer lift however in orientation mom and the other nurse says that no one uses it and just scoops him up like a baby. :eek:

The nurse then tells me to just use good body mechanics and I should be fine. I know how to use good body mechanics, but the way the bed and wheelchair are positioned when I transfer him interrupts good body mechanics causing me to have really bad back pain.:crying2::crying2: I also feel very nervous when transferring and literally have to use every muscle in my body to keep him safe but with the cause of back pain.

I asked mom if others were using the lift and she said no primarily because it hurts his hip. I feel incompetent and weak because mom and the other nurses are able to transfer him without any problems and I feel like its the most hardest thing in the world. I mean this kid is contracted and that can not help either.

The next time I work I will use the lift no matter how much havoc it causes to get it out and set it up ( per mom and the other nurses) because my back comes first and second he needs to be safe. Mom says its okay but I can tell she rather that no one uses it.

I worked last night and my lower back is in knots and hurts really bad now. I'm 22 y/o and I have a feeling I will doing nursing for a long, long time and I need my back.

Anyone else ever faced a situation like this ?

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Specializes in COS-C, Risk Management.

Please take care of your back, you're young and have many years ahead of you. If the mom wants you to injure yourself to care for her child, perhaps you should ask for a different case.

I injured my back when I was a little younger than you, also with a patient who refused to use hoyer lift. I've been in pain for 20 years, have had surgery, and will likely be disabled before it's all over with. It's not worth it. Trust me.

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I am currently in such a situation. Almost exactly the same. None of us can lift the patient any longer. We just managed to get a Hoyer lift in the home about a month and a half ago and everyone uses it. Even with the Hoyer lift, there is heavy moving involved to put the sling under him while he is in the chair, but it is a lot better than doing a dead weight lift, as before. Use the lift. It is your back. If you don't use the lift, you know what will happen when you get the humdinger, nonresolving back injury. The employer will see that worker's comp is denied because you refused to use the supplied safety equipment.

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I am currently in such a situation. Almost exactly the same. None of us can lift the patient any longer. We just managed to get a Hoyer lift in the home about a month and a half ago and everyone uses it. Even with the Hoyer lift, there is heavy moving involved to put the sling under him while he is in the chair, but it is a lot better than doing a dead weight lift, as before. Use the lift. It is your back. If you don't use the lift, you know what will happen when you get the humdinger, nonresolving back injury. The employer will see that worker's comp is denied because you refused to use the supplied safety equipment.

Why can't you leave the sling under him in the chair? That is what we do. My child doesn't like being lifted/moved around a lot. Trying to squeeze it under him while in the chair must be a giant pain. They make some slings that are "breathable" so they don't contribute to overheating.

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Why can't you leave the sling under him in the chair? That is what we do. My child doesn't like being lifted/moved around a lot. Trying to squeeze it under him while in the chair must be a giant pain. They make some slings that are "breathable" so they don't contribute to overheating.

The people at the school and on the bus refuse to allow this.

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Specializes in LTC.

Thanks ! I will inquire to use the lift for now on. I just can't seem to get a good grip on him without straining my back.

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Specializes in Home Health/Peds PACU.

If mom lifts him, why not ask her to help you do a two person transfer?

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Specializes in LTC.

Thanks I got reassurance from for the nursing supervisor. She said the nurses should be using the lift.

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I injured my back as an aid back in 2003 just carrying something down the hallway... I have horrible back pain everyday and need surgery to correct the pain, which the MD says will never completely go away. Protect yourself! As they say: "What do you call a nurse with a bad back? Unemployed!"

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Specializes in Home Health.

Use the Hoyer Lift. Don't wreck your back. My niece messed her back up moving a patient and worked a total of 6 months in her career as an RN, she has been permanently disabled since then. Also, you company may not have to cover a workman's comp claim if you are hurt and did not use the lift. It's just not worth it.

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My patient can't get a shower any longer because we can't maneuver him into the bathroom in the Hoyer lift. It is a shame because they gave him a new shower chair at the same time he got the Hoyer lift and he used to enjoy the running water.

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Our agency does not allow 'dead weight lifts'. We insist on a hoyer even if the nurse feels able/competent to do the lift. We have paid out way too much for workman's comp claims and it's just not safe for the patient. Always protect your back.

Kyasi

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