24-7 EMS Online [v1.9]: Back Injury Prevention for EMS V2

You are just starting to lift a patient on a hydraulic stretcher into your ambulance when you feel a sudden acute pain in your lower back. What should you do next?

Abort the lift and alert your partner that you have injured yourself.

You are on a call with a new partner, a rookie. You and your partner need to lift a petite, elderly fall patient from the ground to a hydraulic stretcher and then into your ambulance. You and your partner lift with your legs to get the patient to the stretcher. You use the hydraulic lift to raise the stretcher and then prepare to lift it down a couple stairs to the driveway, and then into the ambulance. What is the best advice you can offer your partner as you complete the lifts necessary to complete this call?

Be careful lifting this stretcher; it's heavier than the ones you may have trained on, and takes more effort to lift safely.

What type of back injury is pictured in the image?

Compression fracture

You are working with a team of people at your organization to establish standard lifting procedures. Your agency already requires the use of bariatric equipment for patients over 300 lbs., and the use of a slide board to move a patient between beds. What is the best option you can add to this policy to ensure safer lifting in the future?

Establish a maximum patient weight for a two-person lift.

You injured your back while raising a stretcher from a lower position into a higher position. Thankfully, your physician says you should recover within two weeks. After you recover, how should you plan ahead to reduce your risk for a career-ending back injury?

Exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet.

You are running a training exercise on proper lift mechanics at your EMS organization. You observe two providers completing a lift of a "patient," and one of the providers has the lifting form shown in the image. How would you evaluate his lift mechanics?

Good; the provider is keeping the load close to his body.

You and your partner are lifting up a patient who has fallen to the ground between his bed and the wall. He is wedged in an awkward position. How should you proceed with lifting this patient?

Hold your hands close to your body and distribute the load evenly as you lift.

It is best practice to:

Lift a patient as short a distance as possible.

What provides support to the spine in addition to muscles?

Ligaments

The __________ is the section of the spine that is most prone to injury from lifting.

Lumbar

Which of the following lists the steps for safe lifting correctly and in order?

Maintain constant communication, plant your feet shoulder-width apart, and bend slowly at the knees with your back straight.

What is a major impact on the EMS workforce when a provider sustains a back injury?

Other providers may have increased fatigue due to covering additional shifts while someone is on sick leave.

When you bend to the side to pick up a bag of equipment, what is the main force acting on the spine?

Shear

You and your partner are on the second story of a house where your elderly patient has fallen. You need to transport this patient to the hospital. What do you need to do first to lift this patient?

Size up the lift and coordinate with your partner.

You injured your back while lifting equipment into your vehicle. You have shooting pains down your left leg. What injury do you likely have?

Spinal disc herniation