International Round Table Discussion: The Right to Refuse

There are probably very few healthcare providers or caregivers who, even if they work for a healthcare organization that has an advanced safe patient handling program, have not come across a time when a patient has refused to have a safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM) technology, such as a powered floor or ceiling lift, used to transfer them. Paradoxically, there are also situations where caregivers can refuse to move or lift a patient without using SPHM technology. The American Nurses Association (ANA) SPHM Interprofessional National Standards of 20131 makes reference to the right of nursing staff to refuse to lift a patient without having access to appropriate technologies, and this has also been included in some state SPHM legislation in the United States. Other countries have legislation that further complicates this issue, including conflicting regulations that support both the rights of the patient and the caregiver. This discussion between representatives from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the United States looks at the different influencers that can lead to the patient or caregiver refusing to participate in a patient lifting or mobility task where SPHM technology is used and when caregivers refuse to perform lifting tasks without technology in a manual lift.

Enos L, Hucknall C, McMahon A

Keywords: safe patient handling, patient refusal, caregiver refusal