If you use a sheet or a roller to move patients, remember that
many hands make light work when it comes to patient lifting, says
Leslie Mattson, RN BSHM, a nurse consultant with ALM Surgical
Solutions in Atlanta, Ga. "We use an all-hands-on-deck approach to
moving the patient
from the stretcher to
the OR table and
back," she says. In
pre-op and PACU,
however, the care is
typically one-on-one,
as is moving the
patient. After having
a nurse injure her
back attempting to
move a patient up in
the stretcher by her-
self, Ms. Mattson
adopted a team-lift
approach in pre-op
and PACU as well.
She educated staff to
get help and use
proper body mechan-
ics when they need
to reposition patients
or help them ambu-
late. She reminded
staff that adjusting
stretcher heights,
8 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6
