Practice Question
A nurse is preparing to transfer a client who is immobile and weighs 104.3 kg (230 lb) from the bed to a stretcher. Which of the following actions should the nurse plan to take?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Move the client onto the stretcher using a slide board with the assistance of two health care workers.
Rationale:
🛏️ A slide board reduces friction between the client and surfaces, making transfers safer and easier for both the client and staff.
🛏️ Using two health care workers distributes the workload and reduces risk of musculoskeletal injury to staff.
🛏️ For an immobile, 230-lb client, mechanical aids and team assistance are considered best practice for safe handling.
🛏️ This method helps maintain spinal alignment and prevents shearing or dragging of the client.
🛏️ Therefore, this option reflects correct ergonomic and patient-safety technique for transfer.
Have the client roll onto a transfer board and pull the board onto the stretcher.
🛏️ An immobile client may not be able to actively roll or assist with the transfer, making this instruction unrealistic.
🛏️ Relying on the client to roll without proper staff support increases risk of injury to the client, especially post-op or with weakness.
🛏️ Also, “pull the board onto the stretcher” suggests that one person may be doing the work, which risks staff back strain.
🛏️ Safe transfer requires adequate staff help and stabilization of both client and board.
🛏️ Thus, while a transfer board can be useful, this description is incomplete and unsafe compared with the slide board + two workers option.
Move the client's upper body onto the stretcher first.
🛏️ Moving just the upper body first can cause twisting and misalignment of the spine and torso.
🛏️ This technique may lead to shearing forces on the skin and strain on the back and hips, especially in an immobile client.
🛏️ Proper transfer should move the client as a unit, not in segments, to protect both tissue integrity and comfort.
🛏️ It also increases risk of falls or sliding if the lower body remains unsupported.
🛏️ Therefore, this is not a safe or recommended transfer method.
Apply a transfer belt to the client prior to transferring to the stretcher.
🛏️ Transfer belts (gait belts) are used primarily for ambulatory or partially mobile clients, to provide a secure handhold while they stand and pivot.
🛏️ This client is described as immobile, which means they cannot safely assist with standing or moving with a belt.
🛏️ Using a belt in this situation does not address the need for lateral transfer and may give staff a false sense of security.
🛏️ The correct approach for an immobile client is the use of sliding or transfer devices and multiple staff, not gait belts.
🛏️ Thus, applying a transfer belt is not appropriate here.
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This question is from RN Fundamentals 2023 EXAM 7 which contains 69 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: ATI Exam(s)
- Domain: RN ATI Fundamentals of Nursing
- Answer Choices: 4