More of a vent than a question but I promise one is there somewhere!
I am employed at a "no lift facility" please advise on what the alternative would be if the pt is refusing to use a hoyer lift?
This individual is well over 500lbs. Refusing to use hoyer lift (will not leave AMA, even though this person has threatened to do so) and constantly saying they will send their self out 911 (never calls btw). Mind you in the morning shift he can transfer independently, but at night he's asked us to document how "difficult" it is to transfer him to bed. Oh & he says if he got a new one (10k bariatric bed, although he currently has a bari-bed......it's just not the brand he wants) he'd be able to do it independently as well.
My supervisors resolution: get non urgent ambulance to transfer if he is refusing hoyer lift and so they did......here are my concerns:
1. No MD gave the order to call an ambulance
2. Is this going to be a daily thing?
3. Is it wrong to refuse to lift him (our policy says we are a NO lift, my back is precious and also bc my supervisor said if we get injured that's on us for not using the hoyer lift)
4. The ambulance staff realized they bit off more than they can chew, they ended up asking for help in transferring him. Helllllooooooo if we were able to do it we would not have called you! Here's the problem, if there's no order and IF he would have fallen who's liable?
5. They placed the gurney parallel to his motor scooter (immediately after they realized he couldn't bare his weight to pivot over to the gurney) and wanted to use 3 sheets to transfer him. THREE SHEETS for a bariatric patient. Walk me through this bc I couldn't wrap my head around it. How do you plan to transfer a pt that's well over 500lbs with three sheets!!!
My charge nurse was upset with me bc I refused to help transfer, ummmmm but in my defense, there was no order and I did not think the sheets were a SAFE method to transfer him so of course I don't want my name on that potential incident-lawsuit.
What would you have done? How would you approach a situation like this?
joannavn
38 Posts
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