Use of Assistive Devices to Lift, Transfer, and Reposition Hospital Patients.
Ashley L Schoenfisch, Kristen L Kucera, Hester J Lipscomb and 4 others
PMID 30540690WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses and nursing assistants reported using lift equipment for at least half of transfers only 40% of the time, despite universal training.
Patient condition and staff availability were the most common factors influencing whether equipment was used.
Key findings
01Only 40% of participants who performed lifts/transfers reported using lift equipment for at least half of those tasks, even though all had received training.
02Factors most frequently present at the time of a lift/transfer included the patient being unable to help (91.3%), patient size/weight requiring assistance (87.5%), and availability of others to assist (86.3%).
03In free-text responses, half of the factors cited as most influential were related to the patient's condition or care plan requirements, while 18.7% cited time constraints.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Self-reported data may underestimate the true frequency of lifting and repositioning tasks. The study population was limited to nurses and NCAs in three hospitals in North Carolina, restricting generalizability. Selection bias is likely, as participants may have been more interested in safe patient handling than the average workforce. The cross-sectional design cannot determine causality between factors and equipment use. Sample size precluded well-powered stratification by specific factors.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by NIH grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the low equipment usage rate as evidence that training is ineffective or that staff are non-compliant. The study shows that situational factors like patient condition and staff availability heavily influence the decision to use equipment, and self-reported usage may not reflect all safe handling behaviors.