Sit-To-Stand Lift: Effects of Lifted Height on Weight Borne and Upper Extremity Strength Requirements

To prevent back and shoulder injuries to nursing personnel, sit-to-stand lifts are used to transfer partial-weight-bearing patients with upper extremity strength. However, the weight-bearing capacity and upper extremity strength required of patients have not been defined. The objectives of this study were to determine: (a) the percentage of body weight borne by the patient when lifted to different heights in the lift and (b) whether a patient needs upper extremity strength. Nineteen healthy normal-weight volunteers (ages 19-39) were transferred from a hospital bed to a wheelchair using (a) a gait belt and (b) a sit-to-stand lift. With legs secured in the lift, participants were lifted to five different heights (knee angles 120-180 degrees) while holding and not holding the lift handles. Participants supported a greater percentage of body weight as they were lifted higher, increasing from 60% to almost 100% (p < .01). Holding the handles did not have an effect on weight borne overall. At low heights, slightly less weight was borne when not using the handles than with them, and no difference in weight borne was found at heights near standing (p < .01). All participants felt more comfortable and safer transferring from bed to wheelchair with the mechanical lift than with the gait belt (p < .01). Results are limited to normal-weight patients but suggest that sit-stand lifts can be used in patients without upper extremity strength. Patients with limited weight-bearing capacity can be transferred by not raising them high in the lift. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.