Chapter 3: Lifting and Moving Patients

Which of the methods listed below is best described as moving a patient from the floor to a stretcher by having two or more rescuers kneel, curl the patient to their chests, stand, and then reverse the process to place the patient on the stretcher?

A) Direct carry

B) Direct ground lift

C) Power lift

D) Draw-sheet method

B) Direct ground lift

When placing all fingers and the palm in contact with the object being lifted, you are using which of the following?

A) Lock grip

B) Power lift

C) Power grip

D) Vise grip

C) Power grip

Which of the following best describes body mechanics?

A) Proper use of the body to protect patient safety

B) Proper use of the body to facilitate lifting and moving objects

C) Equipment designed to minimize stress on the user's body

D) Maintaining correct body posture to improve ergonomics

B) Proper use of the body to facilitate lifting and moving objects

The term body mechanics describes the proper use of your body to lift without injury. What are the three considerations to review before any lift?

A) Equipment, patient injury, and communication

B) The object, patient injury, and communication

C) The object, your limitations, and communication

D) Environment, physical limitations, and communication

C) The object, your limitations, and communication

Which of the following factors least needs to be considered before lifting any patient?

A) The weight of the patient

B) Your physical limitations

C) Communications

D) The distance to cover

D) The distance to cover

When lifting a patient, a basic principle is to:

A) lift with your lower back.

B) extend your arms to maximize your lift.

C) rush your lift to minimize your lift time.

D) know your lifting limits.

D) know your lifting limits

Which of the following is the correct position of an EMT's feet when lifting?

A) Shoulder-width apart

B) As close together as possible

C) As wide apart as possible

D) Two feet apart

A) Shoulder-width apart

Which of the following statements regarding body mechanics is true?

A) Use your back to lift.

B) Use your legs to lift.

C) Twist your torso while lifting.

D) Position your feet close together.

B) Use your legs to lift

Where should you position the weight of the object being lifted?

A) As far from the body as possible

B) An arm's length away from the body

C) To one side or the other

D) As close to the body as possible

D) As close to the body as possible

How far apart should your hands be when using a power grip?

A) 24 inches

B) 10 inches

C) 6 inches

D) 15 inches

B) 10 inches

Which of the following is another name for the squat-lift position?

A) Power grip

B) Power lift

C) Weight-lifter technique

D) Direct carry

B) Power lift

If the weight being pulled is below the level of the EMT's waist, he should be in a(n) ________ position.

A) squatting

B) kneeling

C) feet-together

D) overhead

B) kneeling

Which of the following should you not do when reaching for something?

A) Keep your back in a locked-in position.

B) Avoid twisting.

C) Avoid reaching more than 20 inches in front of your body.

D) Prolong the reach for as long as necessary.

D) Prolong the reach for as long as necessary.

Which of the following best describes an urgent move?

A) Moving a patient from a car directly to a long spine board

B) Dragging a patient from a burning house using his shirt

C) Using a sheet to move a patient from a bed to the stretcher

D) Pulling a patient by her feet across a parking lot

A) Moving a patient from a car directly to a long spine board

You respond to a call at a park where you find a 550-pound patient who has fallen down a slope near a creek. As you and your partner discuss the situation, you decide to call a second unit for lifting assistance. Once the patient is on a stretcher, how would the additional two personnel help in this lift?

A) You place one person on each corner of the stretcher to balance the weight and share in the lifting.

B) They would position themselves halfway up the slope to take over when you and your partner get fatigued.

C) You will place two persons at the foot, one at the head, and the other to act as a safety anchor with a rope.

D) You will place two persons at the head of the stretcher, one at the foot, and one to act as a spotter.

A) You place one person on each corner of the stretcher to balance the weight and share in the lifting.

When a stretcher with a patient secured to it is elevated, what occurs?

A) The patient feels more comfortable being at near normal height.

B) The center of gravity is raised and this causes a tip hazard.

C) The stretcher is more stable and easily pushed.

D) The EMTs lessen the possibility of injury from being bent over the patient.

B) The center of gravity is raised and this causes a tip hazard.

Which of the following devices is best suited for maneuvering a patient through a narrow hallway?

A) Long backboard

B) Flexible stretcher

C) Wheeled stretcher

D) Basket stretcher

B) Flexible stretcher

Which of the following is not correct when performing a log roll?

A) Keep your back straight.

B) Lean forward from the hips.

C) Use your shoulder muscles.

D) Place both feet flat on the ground.

D) Place both feet flat on the ground.

What should you not do when using a stair chair?

A) Lean forward from the hips.

B) Keep your back straight.

C) Lean forward from the waist.

D) Flex your knees.

C) Lean forward from the waist.

What is the preferred number of rescuers when using a stair chair?

A) Two: one in front and one in back

B) Only one with the track-like chair

C) Four: one for each corner of the device

D) Three: two lifting and one spotting

D) Three: two lifting and one spotting

You have responded to a nursing home and find an elderly patient in his bed in cardiac arrest. Which type of move would you perform to get the patient to a hard surface so you can perform chest compressions?

A) Nonurgent move

B) Clothing drag

C) Urgent move

D) Emergency move

D) Emergency move

You have responded to a multiple casualty incident involving an overturned bus. Patients have been thrown around the interior of the bus, and several are piled on top of each other. What type of move would you perform to gain access to the most critically injured patients?

A) Nonurgent move

B) Extremity lift

C) Urgent move

D) Emergency move

D) Emergency move

Which of the following devices should be used to carry a patient down the stairs whenever possible?

A) Stair chair

B) Scoop stretcher

C) Basket stretcher

D) Wheeled ambulance stretcher

A) Stair chair

What is the main benefit of using a stair chair with a tracklike system over a traditional stair chair?

A) A stair chair with a tracklike system can be manipulated to lift into an ambulance using a hydraulic system.

B) A stair chair with a tracklike system prevents the patient from having to be lifted down stairs.

C) There is no benefit of a tracklike stair chair over a traditional stair chair.

D) Only one EMT is required to operate a stair chair with a tracklike system.

B) A stair chair with a tracklike system prevents the patient from having to be lifted down stairs.

Which of the following patients should not be transported in a stair chair?

A) Patient with difficulty breathing

B) Patient who is nauseated

C) Patient with a suspected spinal injury

D) Patient found lying in bed

C) Patient with a suspected spinal injury

How many pounds are most battery-powered hydraulic systems rated to safely lift?

A) 300

B) 500

C) 700

D) 200

C) 700

What is the likely impact of power stretchers on EMS?

A) There is no likely impact of power stretchers on EMS.

B) There will be a decrease in the number of injuries among EMTs.

C) Insurance reimbursement will increase for ambulance services.

D) There will be an increase in the number of home health transfers.

B) There will be a decrease in the number of injuries among EMTs.

Stretchers that are designed to carry obese patients weighing up to 800 pounds (or more) are called:

A) battery-powered stretchers.

B) wheeled stretchers.

C) hydraulic stretchers.

D) bariatric stretchers.

D) bariatric stretchers.

During an emergency move, which of the following techniques should be used, whenever possible, to minimize the possibility of further aggravating a possible spinal injury?

A) Move the patient in the direction of the long axis of the body.

B) Pull the patient from the feet, not the shoulders.

C) Roll the patient over.

D) Move the patient sideways, alternating between moving the shoulders and the hips.

A) Move the patient in the direction of the long axis of the body.

Urgent moves are required when:

A) an emergency move is not possible.

B) rapid transport is necessary.

C) life threats exist but there is time for precautions for spinal injuries.

D) there are no life threats and conditions are stable.

C) life threats exist but there is time for precautions for spinal injuries.

Which of the following is another name for an ambulance cot?

A) Stair chair

B) Reeve's stretcher

C) Scoop stretcher

D) Wheeled ambulance stretcher

D) Wheeled ambulance stretcher

What type of move should the EMT use to move a patient who is in a car that has started to burn?

A) Nonurgent move

B) Emergency move

C) Extremity carry

D) Urgent move

B) Emergency move

You and your partner arrive on the scene of a 400-pound patient lying in bed. He complains of nausea and vomiting for the past 3 days. When he tries to sit up, he gets very dizzy and has a syncopal episode. Realizing that he cannot assist you in getting on the stretcher, you decide to do which of the following?

A) Use the patient's sheets to slide him over to the stretcher.

B) Place the patient on a backboard to provide better gripping points to move the patient.

C) Use the power lift technique to carefully and safely lift the patient to the stretcher.

D) Call for additional manpower to move the patient.

D) Call for additional manpower to move the patient.

Which of the following should you use when you want to move a patient from a wheelchair to a stretcher?

A) Ground transfer

B) Extremity lift

C) Clothing lift

D) Modified direct lift

B) Extremity lift

What is the contraindication for the use of a scoop or orthopedic stretcher?

A) Internal injuries

B) Hip fracture

C) Pelvic injury

D) Spinal injury

D) Spinal injury

For a patient without a possibility of spinal injury, which of the following carries should be used to move him from a bed to a stretcher?

A) Firefighter's carry

B) Direct ground lift

C) Draw-sheet method

D) Extremity lift

C) Draw-sheet method

You are treating an unconscious patient who does not have a possibility of spinal injury and who is breathing adequately. Which of the following is the best position for transporting the patient?

A) Supine

B) Fowler position

C) Semi-Fowler position

D) Recovery position

D) Recovery position

Which of the following is used to immobilize a patient with a suspected spinal injury?

A) Portable stretcher

B) Long backboard

C) Basket stretcher

D) Scoop stretcher

B) Long backboard

You respond to the scene of a two-vehicle T-bone vehicle collision. The driver's side door is smashed shut and will not open. The front passenger door will open. The front passenger is stable and complaining of severe head and neck pain. You suspect that he has a potential spinal injury. The driver is unresponsive, in critical condition, and has gurgling respirations. You should extricate the passenger by which technique?

A) Carefully move the patient using full c-spine precautions.

B) Take extra care to protect the passenger's neck with a short spine board because of the injury.

C) Move the patient out of the car as quickly as possible, in the direction of the long axis of the body.

D) Maneuver the patient onto a scoop stretcher to extricate him from the vehicle.

C) Move the patient out of the car as quickly as possible, in the direction of the long axis of the body.

You are moving an elderly patient down the stairs using a stair chair. The patient is alert and very anxious. What should you do prior to moving the patient to prevent her from grabbing the railing and causing you to fall?

A) Explain to the patient what you are doing and advise her to hold her hands together and not let go until you are finished moving her.

B) Gently tie the patient's hands together until you are downstairs to prevent her from unconsciously grabbing the railing.

C) Use a strap to safely secure the patient's arms to the chair without causing any loss of circulation to the patient's extremities.

D) Place the patient on oxygen during the move to calm her down.

A) Explain to the patient what you are doing and advise her to hold her hands together and not let go until you are finished moving her.