Principles of Lifting, Moving, and Positioning of patients

When is it necessary to move a patient?

• Never move the patient

• When in a dangerous environment

• When they're tired

• When patient is conscious

Answer explanation

You should only move the patient when its absolutely necessary. Examples of emergency situations include:

Dangerous environment, when airway, breathing, bleeding or circulation cannot be accessed, or when you can't access other patients who need lifesaving care

When do you use and extremity lift?

• When you find the patient lying in supine and don't suspect a spinal injury

• When you need to carry them down the stairs

• When you need to get someone out of a tight space

• When you need to carry a patient across uneven terrain

Draw a cat

When you must carry a patient up or down a flight of stairs or other significant incline, use a ________ if possible.

When would you use a standard move?

• When the situation is urgent and the patient is extremely hot or cold

• When the scene is unsafe

• When the situation isn't urgent and patient is uncomfortable or extremely hot/cold

What is a direct ground lift?

• A standard move that can be used to move a patient from the ground or floor to a bed or stretcher

• A move that you must use when the situation is urgent

• When the patient is lying facedown and needs to be transported

Answer explanation

Patient should be lying face-up when using direct ground lift.

What is an extremity lift?

• A lift that requires four or more people to transport a patient

• When moving a patient from the ground to a chair or stretcher

• A lift that should always be used in urgent situations picking up the person an carrying them like a child

Answer explanation

You'll be lifting the person by their extremities (arms or legs). This can also be used to lift people out of tight spaces

Performed in order to move a patient with no suspected spine injury from a bed or bed-level position to a stretcher. Similar to direct ground method.

Answer explanation

The EMT at the head end of the stretcher slides one arm under the patient's neck and shoulders, cupping the far shoulder with his or her hand and cradling the head.

What is the draw sheet method?

• Method where a small bed sheet is placed crosswise over the middle of the bottom sheet of a mattress

• Method where you move patient from a bed to a stretcher

• a method where you pick patient up off the ground and onto a stretcher or bed

What body position is this

• Recovery

• Supine

• Prone

• Fowlers