A practical nurse is planning ambulation interventions for a client who has left-sided hemiplegia and requires a quad cane. Which action by the nurse demonstrates the safest and most appropriate use of this assistive equipment?
- Instructing the client to hold the quad cane in the right hand and advance it simultaneously with the left legAnswer
- BApplying a soft wrist restraint to the client's left arm to prevent it from swinging and interfering with the cane
- CDelegating the initial assessment and height adjustment of the quad cane to an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP)
- DPlacing the quad cane in the client's left hand to provide direct weight-bearing support to the affected side of the body
Answer
The safest practice is instructing the client to hold the quad cane in their right (unaffected) hand and advance it simultaneously with the left (affected) leg.
When using a quad cane, ergonomic principles dictate that the device must be held on the unaffected (stronger) side to widen the base of support and reduce mechanical stress on the affected leg. For a client with left-sided hemiplegia, the strong side is the right side. The client should advance the cane and the weak (left) leg simultaneously, allowing their body weight to be safely distributed between the assistive device and their strong right leg.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Safe Ambulation with Assistive Devices
Estimated Time:1m 15s