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Vol. 1 - No. 4 - September 13, 2006
Editor's note
Dear Subscriber,
Welcome to the latest issue of Safe Lifting News, a periodic e-newsletter designed to report on what’s happening in the world of safe patient lifting and caregiver injury prevention. If you haven’t had a chance to respond, please take a moment to tell us what you want to read about. You can send me an e-mail with more of your thoughts and reactions. Tell us about your job responsibilities and where you stand on patient lifting. And if you’ve got a question, just "Ask the Lift Doctor" in the link below. As always, we look forward to hearing from you!
Warm regards,
Melissa Nowitz
Editor, Safe Lifting News
e-mail: melissa.nowitz@hill-rom.com
Headlines in the news...
Repositioning Patients Is One of Nursing’s Riskiest Tasks
An Ohio State University study documents that patient repositioning in bed is one of the highest-risk tasks a caregiver can perform. "Anything we can do to sidestep these risks is worthwhile, because one of the problems with back injuries is that you don’t get much early warning. Typically, by the time you feel the pain, it’s too late." To read a summary of this study visit
http://www.researchnews.osu.edu/archive/resthome.htm
Achieving Culture Change
It’s always comforting to know you’re not the only one to face problems, right? To read about typical problems encountered when introducing a new regimen into a facility’s culture, read the following quotation: "We had lift equipment, but utilizing this equipment was not part of our culture. Typical behavior was still geared toward the old way of doing things." Sound familiar? Link to the full article to read how Catholic Healthcare West is confronting the issue of culture change.
Download PDF
Legislative Update
The State of Wisconsin has announced that final grant negotiations are in progress for its Safe-Lifting Initiative program. Visit
http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/healthcare/safe-lifting_grant.htm to track progress of this innovative program. Hint: The section entitled "Safe Lifting Resources" contains a number of informative overhead presentations you may find useful in preparing justifications for a safe lifting program. If you are aware of similar programs or initiatives in your state, please send along an e-mail for inclusion in the next edition of this newsletter. Address to melissa.nowitz@hill-rom.com
Are Patient Lifts Used Exclusively for Lifting?
Caregivers are becoming increasingly involved in exploring the rehabilitative and therapeutic capabilities of patient lifts, ranging from standing assistance to ambulation and gait retraining. In particular, bariatric rehabilitation is a challenging area. Link here to read a contemporary viewpoint from Rehab Management magazine.
http://www.rehabpub.com/features/42006/2.asp
Magnetic and "Cling-On" Safe Lifting Decals
At the suggestion of personnel from Kaiser Permanente, magnetic and Cling-On versions of the "Safe Lifting Environment" decals are now available with color photographs of specific lift equipment. The symbols are designed to be placed on an individual patient’s door or chart to designate the specific lift required for that patient. Visit
http://www.trmiller.com/lift.
New Equipment News
Privacy Curtain for Use with Overhead Lift Rails
The new "FreeSpirit" privacy curtain system is designed to permit easy installation of curtain rails in conjunction with Liko ceiling-mounted overhead lift system rails. The innovative FreeSpirit system can be used in both single- and multiple-bed rooms and features a variety of adjustable mounting pendants and carriers. To request more information, please click the button below.
Upcoming Trade Shows and Conferences of Particular Interest (Click on "more" to visit the show site…)
2006 October |
4-6 |
ARN (Rehab Nurses) |
Chicago, IL |
United States |
More » |
4-6 |
AOHP (Occupational Health) |
Sacramento, CA |
United States |
More » |
8-10 |
AHCA (Amer. Health Care Assoc.) |
San Antonio, TX |
United States |
More » |
18-20 |
AIA AAH (Healthcare Architects) |
Miami, FL |
United States |
More » |
29-31 |
ASHRM (Risk Management) |
San Diego, CA |
United States |
More » |
2006 November |
5-8 |
AAHSA (Homes & Services for Aging) |
San Francisco, CA |
United States |
More » |
6-8 |
OHA HealthAchieve 2006 |
Toronto |
Canada |
More » |
30/11-2/12 |
National Ergonomics Conference |
Las Vegas, NV |
United States |
More » |
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2007 March |
12-16 |
Safe Patient Handling and Movement |
Lake Buena Vista, FL |
United States |
More » |
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Footnote regarding the March SPHM Show:
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If you are unable to attend the SPHM show, you may want to consider purchasing a compilation of the conference proceedings. Simply e-mail a request to pgorzka@health.usf.edu
The Reading Room
Following are several suggested publications for background reading on topics related to safe lifting.
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"The Incidence and Economic Burden of Injuries in the United States"
Published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this book documents annual costs of medical care and productivity losses resulting from workplace injuries. Order it from
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/CostBook/
Economic_Burden_of_Injury.htm
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"Evidence-Based Patient Handling"
by Susan Hignett et. al., contains a comprehensive summary of evidence-based reference works and studies for anyone interested in pursuing improvements on patient handling practices. Available from Routledge Publishing, 29 West 35th St., New York, NY 10001, or purchase via the web at
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415246326/
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"Improving Patient and Health Care Provider Safety: Task Force Develops Recommendations on Patient Handling"
The American Physical Therapy Association Task Force has developed this White Paper proposing six recommendations designed to modify current practices:
http://www.apta.org/AM/PrinterTemplate.cfm
Are Nurses Continuing to Injure Themselves?
During the year 2006, 31% of nurses reported having personally experienced a back or musculoskeletal injury while working as a nurse. This brief but informative article calls for a significant paradigm shift through use of contemporary strategies and patient-handling techniques.
Read More
OSHA Non-Profit Grants for Employee Safety and Training
(Nonprofit Organizations: You may want to consider applying for a grant covering employee training in safe patient handling.)
OSHA awards grants to nonprofit organizations on a competitive basis through its Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. [More on Susan Harwood…] Grants are awarded to provide training and education programs for employers and workers on the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of safety and health hazards in their workplaces. OSHA selects the safety and health topics and holds a national competition to award grants.
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Eligibility
Nonprofit organizations, including community and faith-based organizations, that are not an agency of State or local government, are eligible to apply. State and local government supported institutions of higher education are also eligible to apply.
http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/ote/sharwood.html |
Ask the lift doctor...
Question:
"I manage a large labor and delivery unit and wonder what advice you could offer to help out with patients who have epidural blocks and require frequent turning from side to side. Up to 1/3 of our patients require Cesarean section and require transfer from labor bed to OR bed. Many of these are emergency cases and require running down the hall with a labor bed into the OR. The number of obese patients is also making these tasks increasingly risky."
Rhnae Steddum,
Wesley Medical Center, Wichita, KS.
Submit your question to the Lift Doctor by clicking the button below.
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