 |
|
|
Vol. 1 - No. 5 - November 20, 2006
Editor's note
Dear Subscriber,
Welcome to the latest issue of Safe Lifting News. This pro bono e-newsletter is designed to report on what's happening in the world of safe patient lifting and caregiver injury prevention. We thank all of you who have sent along suggestions for topics you'd like covered. 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. 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...
Federal Bill Proposes Safe Patient Handling Standards
HR 6182, the "Nurse and Patient Safety and Protection Act of 2006," was recently introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI). The bill proposes to establish a Federal Grant Program to provide financial assistance to cover some or all of the costs of purchasing safe patient handling equipment for health care facilities, such as hospitals, nursing facilities, and outpatient facilities. It also acknowledges that a growing number of health care facilities have incorporated patient handling technology and have reported positive results, including dramatic declines in nursing injuries. To review the full text of the bill, click on http://thomas.loc.gov/home/bills_res.html and click "Search Bill Text," then enter HR 6182.
4 Free CEUs offered for Case Managers and Disability Managers
A free "Patient Lifting" course worth 4 CE hours is currently available to case managers and disability managers. The 6-chapter course originally appeared in CareManagement magazine and has been approved for both CCM and CDMS certification. Fill out this form to request a copy of the 20-page course booklet.
Mark Your Calendar - the SPHM Show is fast approaching
The 7th Annual Safe Patient Handling and Movement show will be held in Lake Buena Vista, FL, March 12-16, 2007. Potential attendees include nurses, physicians, administrators, PTs and OTs. Sessions will include plenary, concurrent and hands-on, and exhibits will feature new and emerging safe patient handling equipment and services. For more information, or to sign up, visit http://www.cme.hsc.usf.edu/sphm.
Note: 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.
Michigan Study Documents Reduction in Nursing Injuries
According to Brenda Myers, ergonomic specialist at the University of Michigan, in 2001 nurses accounted for nearly 49 percent of all work-related musculoskeletal injuries in the medical center, and 92 percent of those resulted from lifting patients. A pilot study tracked the causes and how to reduce them, and through March, 2006, nursing injuries were greatly reduced. For more information visit http://www.med.umich.edu/insideview/Volume1/Issue5/sphi.html.
Legislative "Scorecard" - State-by-State Safe Lifting Initiatives
- CA - Senate Bill 1204 has been vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger for the third time in three years. To review the bill or the specific wording of the veto, visit http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html, and search for Bill 1204.
- CT - House Bill 5740, supported by Connecticut Nurses Association, would require written ergonomic policies and procedures to protect employees. Visit http://ehscenter.bna.com/pic2/ehs.nsf/id/BNAP-6NTF8X?OpenDocument
- FL - House Bill HB 1177 and Senate Bill SB 2244 both died in committee. For details visit
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/
Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=33408&
- HI - The Hawaii Legislature has adopted HCR 16 supporting the policies contained in the ANA's Handle with CareŽ campaign. Visit http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/
sessioncurrent/bills/HCR16_.pdf
- IL - House Bill 4558 and Senate Bill 2692 are currently under consideration. http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB
&DocNum=4558&GAID=8&SessionID=50&LegID=22851 and http://ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp
?DocNum=2692&GAID=8&GA=94
&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=23638&SessionID=50
- IA - House Bill HF 635, currently under consideration, would establish and implement protocols to minimize manual patient handling by individual nurses. Visit http://nxtsearch.legis.state.ia.us/NXT/gateway.dll?
qt=&f=templates&xhitlist_q=
safe+patient+handling&fn=default.htm&xhitlist_d=curleg
- MA - House Bill 2662 is currently under consideration. Visit http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/house/ht02pdf/ht02662.pdf
- MN - The Minnesota OSHA Workplace Safety Consultation is currently working with Long Term Care facilities in a study to identify ergonomic risk factors and reduce associated injuries to healthcare workers. Visit http://www.doli.state.mn.us/pdf/4905sl.pdf
- NJ - House Bill A3028 and Senate Bill 1758 are currently under consideration. Visit http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillsByNumber.asp and enter the bill number.
- NY - House Bill A07641 and Senate Bill S04929 have created a demonstration program to collect data on injuries and best practices. Visit http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg?bn= and enter the bill number.
- OH - House Bill 67 created an interest-free loan program available to nursing homes to purchase lift equipment or create safe lifting policies. Visit http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/
bills.cfm?ID=126_HB_67_EN
- RI - House Bill 7386 and Senate Bill S 2760 have been passed and signed by the governor. Visit http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText06/
SenateText06/S2760A.pdf and http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText06/
HouseText06/H7386A.pdf
- TX - Senate Bill SB 1525, signed into law in June, 2005, was the first in the nation to require safe patient handling programs in hospitals and nursing homes. Visit http://www.texasnurses.org/
wkplaceadv/1525_legislation.doc
- WA - House Bill 1672 was signed into law in March, 2006. It mandates that hospitals provide lift equipment as part of their policy for safe patient handling. Visit http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?
bill=1672&year=2006
- WI - To review this grant program or view the current list of grantees under the WI Department of Workforce Development's Safe Lifting Initiative, visit http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=498060
The Reading Room
Following are several suggested publications for background reading on topics related to safe lifting.
Patient Lifting "Infomercial"
Have you or your co-workers encountered patients who are unwilling or otherwise resistant to being lifted by an assistive device such as a floor lift or ceiling lift? Do you encounter difficulties convincing patients to cooperate with your new or existing safe lifting policies? View this free "patient infomercial" that can be run on your internal video network or shown during admission. Click here to view.
Ask the Lift Doctor...
Ask the Lift Doctor - Slings for Amputees
"Our facility currently is home to a double leg amputee resident. With much concern for the safety and also comfort of the resident, is there any other way to transfer a resident in this particular situation safely and comfortably other than using an amputee sling?"
Robert Frederick Jr.
Country View Manor, Sibley, IA
Dear Mr. Frederick:
Thanks for your question.
Different suppliers have different design/safety/comfort objectives for their amputee slings. To give you just one example based on Liko's line of slings, the Model 70 Amputee Sling is designed specifically for patients with high amputations, thus a correctly fitted and applied Model 70 sling should be a perfectly safe and comfortable solution for the problem described, no matter what concerns the caregiver may have. If an alternative recommendation is required, a full body sling such as the Liko Comfort Sling should be considered as a perfectly acceptable choice. This sling is somewhat similar to the sheet slings of the past and is normally applied in the bed by performing a bed roll to the patient, whereas the amputee sling can be applied in seated position.
The material choice of the sling is also affected by whether it is an amputee sling or a full body sling. Amputee slings that are made of polyester or nylon are usually recommended when the sling is applied and removed in seated position. However, a full body sling may require an airy or net-type material which usually allows for better airflow, or a cotton material for better comfort.
At the site of the bifurcation, your facility may also choose to provide a cushion on the seat of the chair or wheelchair for additional comfort and security.
Stay safe.
The Lift Doctor.
Ask the Lift Doctor - How long can a sling be left on?
"My mother is in a special care home and I was wondering about the sling. Should it be left on at all times unless she is in her bed? Is this common practice?"
Cyril Hudon
Concerned Sibling
Dear Cyril:
This is a fairly common question, and thanks for raising the issue with our general audience. Whether or not it is advisable to leave a sling under a patient for extended periods of time depends on a collective of patient-specific factors, which include the integrity of the patient's skin, type and fabric of the sling, and application and removal.
Although we do not know each and every patient's skin integrity, we will always assume that we should be cautious in our approach. A patient's skin is important with the type of sling, a full body or leg support sling, because applying the full body sling requires a bed roll whereas a leg supported sling can be applied in seated position. The sling applied while seated takes less effort to apply and remove and requires less physical handling of the patient. When applying and removing a leg supported sling, make sure that the material is smoothed out with no folds or wrinkles and that there aren't any sling seams (outer sling edging) underneath the legs or against any bony prominence. The sling fabric made of polyester/cotton mesh allows the skin to breathe and be more comfortable, whereas specific nylon or polyester material choices kept against a patient's body for a period of time could increase the ambient temperature near the patient's body.
While there is no commonly accepted definition of "extended periods," for convenience you can equate this time period to the amount of time when healthcare standards would normally move a patient to a different position-usually under 2 hours. Please communicate this advice with your mother's special care provider to initiate further discussion regarding how best to help your mother with her care.
Stay safe.
The Lift Doctor
Ask the Lift Doctor - Assisting A Large Patient in a Restroom
"If a large patient comes in unassisted to our office but asks for assistance in the restroom, then we are risking our staff's backs to assist them. We don't want to refuse help, but it puts us in a bind. What do you suggest?"
Angie Youngblut
Cedar Valley Medical Specialists, Waterloo, IA
Dear Ms Youngblut,
Thanks for your question. Here are a few thoughts to help you make an informed decision.
I am going to assume that the level of protection you wish to provide for your staff is similar to that used when protecting the medical practice itself, including clients and staff, against liability. For example, when it snows, it is likely that the medical practice protects its grounds by shoveling snow and salting the walkways to ensure clients and staff do not slip and fall. With that said, I assume this the same level of protection is needed within the building for the safety of your patients and staff alike.
How much protection is enough? Protection of your staff must be weighed against your commitment to provide the highest level of care to your patients. A rule of thumb is that transfer assistance should fit under the heading of "universal precautions." Just as when using gloves, washing hands, or masking up to protect staff and patients against cross contamination, your healthcare staff needs to be aware of the universal precaution to use ergonomic aids to protect themselves and their patients during transfers.
Although large patients obviously direct your attention to possible transfer problems, please bear in mind that the size of the patient does not dictate the probability of injury; size determines only the number of staff required and any potential space difficulties. In the situation you mention, utilizing a sit-to-stand device in medical office settings is now more common than ever. Benefits are that a sit-to-stand requires only one staff member to operate and can fit into small spaces, all while offering good protection to the patient and yourself.
Stay safe,
The Lift Doctor
Submit your question to the Lift Doctor by clicking the button below.
We respect your right to privacy and will not resell your name. You may update your profile information or be removed from our mailing list by clicking below. Also, please don't let this email go to your junk folder. Add newsletter@safeliftingportal.com to your "address book" to ensure that you receive future newsletters directly into your inbox.
|
|
|
|
|
