Patient Care · ARRT Radiography
Patient Transfer & Body Mechanics for the ARRT Exam
Body mechanics, fall risk, wheelchair and gurney transfers, log rolling, transfer devices from gait belt to Hoyer lift, restraints, skin care, and the DABDA grief stages.
Overview
Physical Assistance, Transfer and Patient Support covers the hands-on side of Patient Care: moving patients without hurting them or yourself, holding them still, protecting their skin, and behaving well around dying patients. Spinal abuse from lifting is the leading cause of injury to health care personnel, and one rule runs through the whole chapter: assess, then move.
Body mechanics is three definitions. The center of gravity sits at the center of the pelvis, the base of support is the area the feet enclose at 4 to 8 inches apart, and the line of gravity drops straight down through the center of gravity and should fall through the middle of the base. Before any transfer you confirm identity from the wristband, ask about weight-bearing limits, and ask what medication was given in the past 2 to 3 hours. Wheels lock and wheelchair footrests come up before anyone moves, and a falling patient is guided to the floor, never held upright.
The named devices sort by what the patient can still do. A gait belt needs some weight bearing, a transfer board needs a seated patient who can help, a sliding board or HoverMatt moves a patient lying flat, and a Hoyer lift handles the fully dependent case. The air-assisted HoverMatt floats the patient on a layer of air that cuts friction and shear, and Adler requires at least two trained people to use one.
Restraints need an order from a physician or other authorized practitioner plus facility policy, quick-release knots, and release for range of motion every 2 hours. On the hard table, pressure that is not relieved within a few minutes can start an ulcer, so long studies get a radiolucent pad and a position change every 30 minutes rather than the ward's 2 hours. The chapter closes with the Kubler-Ross grief stages, DABDA: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, learned in order even though patients do not move through them in order.
What you’ll learn in this chapter
The 27 lessons in this chapter break down as follows. The full lesson content is unlocked when you start a free account.
Patient Care
- Physical Assistance, Transfer & Patient Support
Body mechanics
- Base, Center and Line of Gravity
Before the move
- Assessing Mobility
Safety
- Fall Risk
Transfers
- The Rules That Apply to All of Them
- Quiz
- The Wheelchair Pivot
- Gurney to Table
- Quiz
- Log Rolling
- The Named Devices
- Quiz
- Talking Through a Transfer
Mobility aids
- Assisting With Mobility Aids
Immobilization
- Aids Used in Radiography
- Where the Legal Line Sits
Patient support
- Protecting the Skin
Death & dying
- DABDA
- Quiz
- How to Behave
Patient support
- What You Can and Cannot Say
Recap
- What to Carry Out of This Chapter
- Quiz
- Quiz
- Quiz
- Quiz
- Quiz
Key terms in this chapter
These are the 8 terms most likely to appear on the ARRT registry from this chapter. Use them as a flashcard pre-quiz.
- Center of Gravity
- The point where body mass is centered, at the center of the pelvis in a standing person. Keeping the load close keeps it over your base of support.
- Base of Support
- The area enclosed by the feet, placed 4 to 8 inches apart with weight shared equally. A wide base is the first check before taking any weight.
- Log Rolling
- Turning a patient while the head, spine and pelvis move as one unit. Used for suspected spinal injury, with one person holding the head steady and the team moving on one agreed count.
- Gait Belt
- A heavy fabric belt with a strong buckle, fastened snugly around the waist over clothing. A handhold for a patient who bears some weight, never a lifting device.
- Hoyer Lift
- A hydraulic or electric sling lift for patients with little or no weight-bearing ability. Standard practice is two or more people, and only staff trained in its safe use should run it.
- Orthostatic Hypotension
- A blood pressure drop on standing, 20 to 30 mm Hg systolic for 1 to 2 minutes in about one in four people over 65. Rising too fast can make these patients dizzy enough to fall, so sit them up first.
- Restraint
- Any method or device that immobilizes a patient or limits free movement of the arms, legs, body or head; Torres calls it an immobilizer. It needs an order from a physician or other authorized practitioner plus facility policy, and release at least every 2 hours. Sponges and sandbags that hold a patient still for an exam are positioning aids, not restraints.
- DABDA
- Kubler-Ross's five grief stages from 1969: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Learned in order, though patients move between stages freely.
Sample practice question: Patient Interactions
One free sample from the 391-question Patient Interactions bank. See the format, the rationale style, and the difficulty before you sign up.
A patient is scheduled for an upper GI series. Before bringing the patient into the fluoroscopy room, which of the following is the radiographer's FIRST priority?
Show answer and rationale
A, Incorrect: Order verification matters, but it follows patient identification.
B, Correct: Correct. The Joint Commission requires two-factor identification (typically name and DOB) before any procedure. Wrong-patient errors are the most common preventable adverse event in imaging.
C, Incorrect: Barium administration begins after the patient is identified and consented.
D, Incorrect: Positioning happens after identification, history-taking, and consent confirmation.
Read 3 chapters free.
The free tier unlocks 3 complete chapters, 50 practice questions, and 1 sample timed exam. No credit card required.
Frequently asked questions
What does the ARRT Radiography Patient Care category cover?
Physical Assistance, Transfer and Patient Support covers the hands-on side of Patient Care: moving patients without hurting them or yourself, holding them still, protecting their skin, and behaving well around dying patients. Spinal abuse from lifting is the leading cause of injury to health care personnel, and one rule runs through the whole chapter: assess, then move.
How many lessons are in the Patient Transfer & Body Mechanics for the ARRT Exam chapter?
This chapter contains 27 lessons across 11 sections, plus a knowledge-check quiz at the end. The full lesson content is unlocked with a Premium subscription. The free tier includes 3 complete chapters.
Is this chapter aligned with the current ARRT Content Specifications?
Yes. Every chapter on this site maps directly to the ARRT Radiography Content Specifications in effect for your exam window. This chapter falls under the Patient Care domain of the official ARRT exam blueprint.