Mechanical Patient Lift Injuries
How to Avoid Mechanical Patient Lift Injuries
What are patient lift injuries? Nursing Homes have a legal duty to ensure that all the patient lifts also known as Hoyer Lifts and other medical equipment, including the staff training, is up to the standards. It is important that all medical equipment be checked and serviced by professionals and that all staff are properly trained and qualified for their positions. In fact, Freedom from Abuse Neglect Federal Regulation mandates they should be “as free of accidents as possible”. Patient lift injuries are some of the most common injuries in nursing homes since the residents often require assist with transfers many times a day. Often patient lifts called by generic terms such as: “Hoyer lift”, “Inva-lift”, “Pro-lift”, “Valero”, “E-Z Stand lifts and others – this can or cannot be the actual manufacturer of the lift.
Federal Regulation Mandates Concerning Falls – Patients Lifts Injuries
Freedom from Abuse Neglect Federal Regulation (h) Accidents. The facility must ensure that—
(1) The resident environment remains as free of accident hazards as is possible; and
(2) Each resident receives adequate supervision and assistance devices to prevent accidents
Improper Patient Lift Injuries and Other Medical Equipment Concerns
There are a number of different problems surrounding the improper use of mechanical patient lift and other medical equipment in nursing home and other care facilities. Some of the cases we handle include the following:
- Hazardous equipment – this includes patient lifts, beds, bathroom facilities and common room facilities
- Lack of safety devices – bed rails, wheelchairs, etc.
- Inadequate bedding – unclean sheets and linen, rickety beds, missing bed rails
- Lack of hygiene and cleanliness
- Lack of proper specialized care medical equipment including bariatric patient lifts, oxygen carts, tracheal suctioning equipment, etc.
- Inadequate training and supervision of staff
Inadequate Medical Equipment Training
In addition to hazardous medical equipment concerns, you also need to be sure that the nurses, the doctors and the caregivers in the facility are properly qualified and trained. Because of the rise in the aging population, more and more nursing facilities are hiring people off the street that do not have the education, the qualifications or the background to work in this environment. For more information see: patient lift injuries. If a nursing home is not providing an adequate level of health care and support including the use of proper patient lifts and other medical equipment then it is important that the authorities be notified right away and that the nursing home neglect stops immediately. It is also important to have an attorney experienced with handling nursing home and patient lift injury cases to hold the facility accountable.
Falls from Hoyer type and other mechanical patient lifts can cause serious injuries including fractures such as hip and pelvic fractures, head injuries including subdural hematoma and other very serious life-threatening injuries. Attention to transfers is critical since the consequences of a mistake can lead to permanent injury or death.
If you or someone you love has suffered an injury from a patient lift injuries or any abuse or neglect in a nursing home, then contact Attorney Kenneth LaBore locally at 612-743-9048 or toll free at 1-888-452-6589 or by email at KLaBore@MNnursinghomeneglect.com or fill out the form on this page.
