One of the most complicated tasks for nurses and nursing assistants is transferring a patient who is at risk for a fall from a bed to a wheelchair. (Credit: Shutterstock) One of the most complicated tasks for nurses and nursing assistants is transferring a patient who is at risk for a fall from a bed to a wheelchair. (Credit: Shutterstock)

One consequence of an aging population is the increase of patients in healthcare facilities from hospitals to nursing homes to assisted living facilities. Another consequence is the increase in the number of healthcare professionals who are lifting patients, often without adequate help in lifting or without proper training in using assistive devices like a Hoyer lift, the brand most commonly used in healthcare facilities.

We've all heard anecdotes about nursing assistants or nurses injuring patients while attempting to transfer them from a wheelchair into bed or vice versa with the lift. So, what kinds of injuries have arisen in these cases, and what are the liability claims? Are the injuries the result of negligence on the part of the healthcare facility, or could they be caused by inadequate staffing or training, as injured patients often claim?

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Rosalie Donlon

Rosalie Donlon is the editor in chief of ALM's insurance and tax publications, including NU Property & Casualty magazine and NU PropertyCasualty360.com. You can contact her at [email protected].

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