Module 5- Body Mechanics

The best reason to use proper body mechanics is to:

Avoid lifting
Prevent injury to the patient as well as the Nurse Assistant
Prevent damage to the equipment in the facility
Use back to lift heavy objects

The patient/resident is positioned in bed with the head of the bed in a partial sitting position at a 45 degree angle. This
position is referred to as the:

Prone position
Supine position
Sim’s position
Semi-fowler’s position

When placing a patient/resident in the lateral position, you promote good body alignment by placing pillows for support under the:

Head, abdomen and upper arms
Head, shoulders and ankles
Head, upper arm, upper leg and behind the back
Head, lower back, arms and patient’s/resident’s sides

The Nurse Assistant has been asked to assist a patient/resident with ambulation. During the procedure, the Nurse Assistant should:

Stand behind the patient/resident and provide support by holding the patient/resident around the waist
Walk beside the patient/resident with the assistant’s arm locked with the patient’s/resident’s arm
Walk in front of the patient/resident with patient’s/resident’s hands placed on the assistant’s shoulders for support
Walk slightly behind and to one side of patient/resident providing support with the gait belt

Nurse Assistants are encouraged to use a gait belt when assisting with patient transfers. The purpose of a gait belt is to:

Hold the patient’s/resident’s clothing in place
Support the patient/resident when seated and protect the patient/resident from falling out of the chair
Assist in transferring a dependent patient/resident and protect both the patient/resident and Nurse Assistant from injury
Provide a safety handle for the patient/resident

Once an object has been lifted, the Nurse Assistant should keep the object:

Under your arm
Held to the side of the body
As close to the body as possible
In front of the body at shoulder height

When the Nurse Assistant is moving a patient/resident toward the head of the bed, they should remove:

The foot cradle from the bed and place on floor
The pillow from under the patient’s/resident’s head and place it against the headboard
The bed covers from the patient/resident and fold at the end of the bed
Any traction equipment that may be attached to the bed

When assisting a patient/resident with left sided weakness to transfer from the bed to a chair, the chair should be located:

At the head of the bed, on patient’s/resident’s right side
At the foot of the bed, on patient’s/resident’s left side
At the middle of the bed directly across from where the patient/resident sits in the bed
Across the room to encourage the patient/resident to get up and walk

When positioning a patient/resident in a side lying position, the Nurse Assistant must first:

Log roll the patient/resident toward the nearest side rail
Move the patient/resident toward the foot of the bed
Move the patient/resident to the side of the bed where the Nurse Assistant is standing
Log roll the patient/resident toward the opposite side rail by yourself

When a patient/resident is in good body alignment it means that the patient’s/resident’s:

Head is in a straight line with the spine
Arms and legs are positioned in a flexed position
Body is used in a careful and efficient manner
Performing exercises to provide movement for the joints

Before performing any task at the bedside, the Nurse Assistant should:

Elevate the bed to a comfortable position to help
Lower the bed to the lowest position to prevent the patient from falling out of bed
Move surrounding furniture away from the bed so the Nurse Assistant won’t bump into it
Elevate the head of the bed so that the patient/resident can observe what you are doing

Which of the following describes the prone position?

Lying on the left side with the upper leg flexed
Lying on the back with toes pointed toward the foot of the bed
Lying on the abdomen with the head turned to one side
A semi-sitting position with knees flexed

A patient/resident is being transferred back to bed after being up in the wheelchair for a long period of time. As the Nurse
Assistant you can best protect your back by:

Using the stronger muscles of your lower arms and back
Keeping a wide base of support and keeping the patient/resident as close as possible to you as you perform the transfer
Pulling the patient/resident with sudden jerky movements so that you are able to move the patient/resident alone
Providing a lot of space between you and the patient/resident so that you have room for movement

Miss Polly Walker has the head of her bed elevated 60 degrees. This position is referred to as:

The supine position
Fowler’s position
Sims’ position
The prone position

Your patient/resident is paralyzed from the waist down (paraplegia) and has maintained good upper body strength. The
patient/resident wants to be able to move himself in bed, somewhat, without assistance. Which of the following pieces of
equipment might be used for this purpose?

Gurney
Gait belt
Trapeze
Pillow

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