Need a Lift?

Patient comfort and provider safety—both things are of paramount importance in EMS. And both are available in the Doty Belt/Lift Assist Harness.

Dan Smith, a firefighter with the City of Duluth (MN) Fire Department, first came across the Doty Belt two years while attending FDIC in Indianapolis. His department decided to try it out on a couple rigs and found right away they liked its ability to help them lift patients while using better body mechanics than other similar devices provided. And, he says, it’s a lot more comfortable for patients as well.

The Doty Belt/Lift Assist Harness was created to keep both patients and caregivers safe, while preserving patient dignity. The ergonomic design of the Doty Belt helps to safely lift and maneuver heavy, elderly and bariatric patients while reducing the risk of back injury for providers. It is perfectly suited for use in nursing homes, hospitals, fire and EMS, search and rescue, and physical therapy.

“We go to a lot of lift assist calls,” says Smith. “What we use the Doty Belt primarily for are folks who have fallen out of their chair, or fallen in the bathroom. We use them in assisted living facilities and in people’s homes, situations like a wife calling for her husband who she can’t pick up. I remember a call for an in-home hospice care patient, who had fallen down in his bedroom and couldn’t get back in bed. He just didn’t have the strength. What’s so great about the Doty Belt is the comfort for providers and patients. If we pick up a geriatric patient the Doty Belt really kind of cradles them and allows us to get two or more firefighters around the patient. We can use our legs rather than our backs to lift the patient. To this point we’ve had several back injuries from lifting on the job. The Doty Belt will hopefully improve that. It gives us a way to lift patients that’s a lot less strenuous on our backs.”

The Doty Belt stitching has been independently pull-tested by UL (Underwriters Laboratories) up to 1,700 lbs. It’s quick and easy to apply, economical and made to last.

Visit www.dotybelt.com.