During a stair-chair transfer, if you need to pause, you should:

• A. Stop the move and have the patient walk down the stairs.
• B. Stop the move and request additional lifting assistance.
• C. Reposition your hands and continue to move the patient.
• D. Guide your partner while moving the chair backwards.

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is safety and teamwork when moving a patient on a stair-chair. If you need to pause during the transfer, stop and call for additional lifting assistance. More help means better control of the chair and patient, allows you to recheck equipment like straps and brakes, and ensures you can coordinate the next steps without risking a fall or loss of grip on the stairs.

Walking the patient down the stairs is not appropriate because the patient is seated in a chair and cannot safely ambulate. Repositioning your hands and continuing without extra help can jeopardize control and balance. Guiding your partner while moving the chair backward might be part of the maneuver, but it doesn’t address the need for extra personnel to maintain safe control when a pause is necessary.