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PT 5 Patient Lifting Techniques you should use as a Nurse to Protect your Back
7 january, 2024
Safe patient handling is a critical skill that requires careful planning and precise technique. It is essential for both professional and new nurses to master these fundamentals to protect the health and safety of both patients and nurses. In this article you can find 5 important patient lifting techniques nurses should use to protect their back.
Our tips:
- Lift with your legs, not with your back. Avoid bending at the waist; instead, bend and lift using your knees. This technique avoids unnecessary stress on your lower spine, reducing the risk of strain injuries.
- Prioritize good posture. Maintaining head and neck alignment with your spine minimizes the risk of strains and sprains. It’s important to keep your body straight rather than bending. When seated, you should also prioritize a straight back, evenly distributing your weight across both hips. Correct posture is your armor against potential injuries.
- Minimize twisting. Twisting your body, especially while bending, can strain muscles and cause injury. Opt for a straight posture to protect your back from undue stress.
- Maintain a wide base of support to enhance stability. You should spread your feet apart at a reasonable distance and flex your knees to align the center of gravity with the base of support. In simpler terms: bend your knees to make yourself more stable, like a tree with its roots spread out for balance.
- Close contact. During lifts and transfers, keep the patient close to your body. This proximity helps maintain balance and stability.
By integrating these considerations and techniques into practice, healthcare providers have better guidelines to safeguard their own well-being while still ensuring good care for their patients.
Sources:
- BAYADA Home Health Care. (2016, September 16). 6 Nurse-approved ways to protect your back on the job. Work-Life. https://blog.bayada.com/work-life/6-nurse-approved-ways-to-protect-your-back-on-the-job
- Cabrera, R., RN. (2023, August 14). 5 Ways Nurses can keep feet and low back pain at bay. Nurseslabs. https://nurseslabs.com/5-ways-you-can-keep-feet-and-low-back-pain-at-bay/
- Caring for People Services. (n.d.). Proper Patient Lifting Techniques for Nurses. https://caringforpeopleservices.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Proper-Patient-Lifting-Techniques-for-Nurses.pdf
Ergotrics
Ergotrics is a Med-Tech company specialized in positioning and moving patients with compressed air. We design and produce inflatable medical devices, which allow optimal positioning of patients in hospitals. We design our products with special attention given to ease of use and hygiene. By using compressed air instead of manual force, we want to provide better support for patients without ergonomic burden for the healthcare worker.
