Sharp's Lift Teams

State law requires hospitals to have safe lift policies to protect patients against accidents and falls, as well as provide lifting equipment and training for employees to avoid debilitating back and other injuries. Health care workers, in particular nurses, have been identified as one of the highest-risk groups for back injury.

In 2002, Sharp HealthCare developed lift teams at its acute care hospitals. As lift team technicians work with patients and nurses, they continually mentor and reinforce the safe lifting practices that each staff member is taught, and train all new staff in safe patient movement and technology.

Lift teams assist nurses with the following transitions:

  • Bed to wheelchair
  • Bed to gurney
  • Gurney to treatment table
  • Bed to commode
  • Floor to bed
  • Any other lift where total body movement of the non-ambulatory patient is required

Lift team technicians make rounds on all nursing units, focusing on those with obese and non-ambulatory/non-assist patients. A great deal of their day is spent in the critical care areas. The lift team rounds every two hours in the Surgical and Medical ICUs to assist nurses with turns, lifting or repositioning required by procedures and treatments.

Staff are encouraged to page the lift team when assistance is needed outside of their expected rounding times. Appointments are also made for patients that have known treatment or arrival times for assistance to their therapies, surgeries or tests.