News

News Release

For immediate release                       Contact: Melissa Nowitz 508-553-3993

Acute Care Hospital Reduces Caregiver Injuries with Safe Lifting Program -
Offers Tips for Implementation

Burlington, NC and Franklin, Mass. – May 30, 2006 - At Alamance Regional Medical Center in Burlington, North Carolina, frequent lifting injuries are a thing of the past, now that the Employee Health and Safety department has implemented a "Safe Patient Handling and Movement" program.

"It all started when we began to see an increase in back injury and shoulder strains from lifting and moving patients, which led to an increase in workers compensation costs," said Mary Jane Brown, RN, Employee Health Nurse at Alamance Regional Medical Center (ARMC).

"That’s when we decided we needed a culture shift," added Mary Godwin, RN, Program Manager for Training Development & Employee Health at ARMC. "This is the only profession where 100 pounds is considered light - people that work on cars don’t lift cars – why should we be lifting people without mechanical help?"

It was time for a change, and upon research of patient lifting resources and educational material, the team at ARMC was introduced to the "Safe Lifting Environment" campaign (www.safeliftingenvironment.com).

"Once we realized the amount of resources available, we began to develop our own patient lifting safety class and program. The final product is our ‘Safe Patient Handling and Movement’ program which includes a two hour class that is mandatory for all clinical staff," said Godwin. "The key to our program being a success is that the administration was supportive, and we were able to give the staff time off the floor to learn how to lift properly and prevent injuries – to themselves and their patients."

"Since implementation," said Brown, "ARMC has had no lifting or moving injuries. Plus, our employees aren’t exhausted from lifting patients all day - now that they know how and when to use the lifting equipment, it is being utilized constantly."

Godwin and Brown offer these tips for hospitals looking to implement a safe lifting program to reduce and eliminate patient lifting and moving injuries:

• Look at the Numbers – Look back over the past year and take a hard look at the worker’s compensation claims and cost, the number of injuries to employees and patients, and the resulting costs.

• Seek Administration Support – Show the administration your reasoning, the numbers, the money that can be saved – on physical therapy and sick days - if lifting injuries were eliminated or cut in half.

• Paint the Picture - It’s easy to justify a program when you consider the big picture – including impact on the injured.  Many nurses, for example, might not be able to pick up and hug their grandchildren due to lift injuries. 

• Show the Benefits – A safe lifting program will benefit the patient as much as the employee - if not more. Talk to your staff, ask if they’ve been short of staff due to injury, had to do the job of two nurses, or seen a patient get dropped or injured. Then tell them you can eliminate it all - with their help.

• Create an Educational Program – Implement a program that will work for your staff and environment. Make sure lift training and equipment instruction is available to all shifts of staff – and that they have time to practice while off the floor. Have the staff take turns lifting each other so that there is clear understanding across the board.

• Remind and Reward – Post reminders, ARMC has the "Safe Lifting Environment" decals posted in all employee break rooms.  And upon completion of our "Safe Patient Handling and Movement" class, the staff is given a "Safety Begins With Me" pin to wear proudly and signify training completion.

"We have seen success at ARMC because we had complete support. The administration, employees, and patients encouraged our new endeavor," said Godwin. "And we couldn’t have done it without them."

"Safe Lifting Environment" is a pro-bono, industry awareness campaign sponsored by Liko. It provides educational material, safe lifting decals, a "flash" animation for web sites, and suggestions for common usage – free - to healthcare facilities. To find out more information on patient lift injuries and safe lifting resources, order a starter kit, or to download campaign materials visit www.safeliftingenvironment.com.

# # #