NHA Patient Care Technician (CPCT) — All Questions

A resident recovering from a stroke is relearning to put on a shirt and takes several minutes to work the weaker arm into the sleeve. Which approach best supports restorative care?

• a.Allow the extra time and cue the resident through each step of the task✓
• b.Dress the resident quickly now and practice on another day
• c.Slide the shirt onto the stronger arm first so the task takes less effort
• d.Complete the sleeve for the resident after the first attempt fails

Restorative care is built on the resident doing the task at the resident's own pace, with verbal cues, adaptive equipment, and setup rather than hands-on completion, because every repetition maintains the function that was regained. Taking over the task, whether at the start or after one failed attempt, is faster for the shift and costs the resident the skill. Dressing the weaker arm first is the correct technique and dressing the stronger arm first makes the task harder, since the weak arm then has to be pushed through a sleeve that is already anchored. Progress is reported so the plan of care can be updated.

Two technicians need to move a patient who has slid toward the foot of the bed back up toward the head of the bed. Which method best protects the patient's skin and the technicians' backs?

• a.Use a friction-reducing lift sheet with one technician on each side✓
• b.Grasp the patient under both arms and pull toward the headboard
• c.Raise the head of the bed and have the patient pull up on the side rails
• d.One technician lifts the shoulders and the other the hips

A lift sheet or friction-reducing slide sheet lets two people move the patient as one unit without dragging skin across the linen, and it keeps the load close to each technician's center of gravity. The bed is flattened first and raised to waist height, the technicians face the head of the bed with feet apart and knees bent, and they move on a count. Pulling under the arms puts traction on the shoulder joints and can injure the brachial plexus. Raising the head of the bed works against the move and increases shear. Lifting a patient by the shoulders and hips by hand strains both backs and grinds the skin along the sheet.