The Critical Lift Zone: Recognizing the Need for Safe Patient Handling Equipment Across the Broader Spectrum of Patient Weights

Lifting and transferring an extraordinarily heavy patient is, by definition, a rare occurrence and typically approached with caution. Routine manual handling of normal-weight patients, however, is also dangerous and takes place far more frequently, often without mechanical assistance, and thus accounts for a majority of injuries. This article defines what we call the “critical lift zone” of normal adult patient weights, which includes over 95% of the adult population, and suggests a number of lower-cost devices available for safe patient handling within this zone.

Smith SR, Gibbs RL, Rosen BS, Lee JT

Keywords: safe patient handling, mobile lift equipment