When should you call for additional staff or equipment?

When should you call for additional staff or equipment?

• A. If the patient is too heavy, unsafe to move alone, or safety risks require more hands or devices.
• B. Only when staff are bored.
• C. Only when the patient asks for help.
• D. Never; you should always move alone.

Answer: (A)

Safe patient handling centers on assessing risk before moving a patient and using help or assistive devices whenever needed. When a patient is too heavy, can’t be moved safely by one person, or there are safety concerns (for example, potential for injury to the patient or staff), you should call for additional staff or equipment. This reduces the chance of strains, falls, or improper transfers and helps protect everyone involved. Why this is best: It recognizes that not every move is safely done by a single person and that using a team or tools like slide sheets, transfer belts, or mechanical lifts is part of responsible care and injury prevention. Why the other options don’t fit: Moving a patient solely because someone is bored isn’t a safety consideration. A patient asking for help doesn’t automatically mean a move is safe or that extra assistance isn’t needed. Never moving alone ignores the real risks of injury to both patient and staff and isn’t appropriate in most transfer scenarios.

Safe patient handling centers on assessing risk before moving a patient and using help or assistive devices whenever needed. When a patient is too heavy, can’t be moved safely by one person, or there are safety concerns (for example, potential for injury to the patient or staff), you should call for additional staff or equipment. This reduces the chance of strains, falls, or improper transfers and helps protect everyone involved.

Why this is best: It recognizes that not every move is safely done by a single person and that using a team or tools like slide sheets, transfer belts, or mechanical lifts is part of responsible care and injury prevention.

Why the other options don’t fit: Moving a patient solely because someone is bored isn’t a safety consideration. A patient asking for help doesn’t automatically mean a move is safe or that extra assistance isn’t needed. Never moving alone ignores the real risks of injury to both patient and staff and isn’t appropriate in most transfer scenarios.