News from our sponsor

Effective October 1, 2008, Liko, our exclusive sponsor, was acquired by Hill-Rom. To read details about the synergies of these two leading brands, visit www.liko.com.

NIOSH Blog on Back Injuries

Users of the SafeLifingPortal.com might be interested in the latest post on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Science Blog "Preventing Back Injuries in Healthcare Settings." The blog outlines NIOSH research to date and asks for input from Portal readers to inform future research. NIOSH encourages our readers to participate by using the “enter comments” box at the end of the blog. The blog can be found here. In advance, thanks to all for participating!

Introducing another new Portal Section -- "Vendor Fairs"

Whenever you are hosting a Vendor Fair, it's important to develop a means of judging safe lifting products and prospective vendors on a level playing field. Based on inputs from committee members who have gone through the vendor evaluation process successfully, we’ve developed a Vendor Evaluation Form in order to assist you in getting started with the evaluation process. Click here to access the Vendor Fairs section.

Results of October Poll

Although not statistically relevant, following are the results of our October Readers poll. Approximately 60% of respondents were from hospitals while 40% were from long term care.

Legislative Update:

Click on each title for the latest information on both the National legislative initiative (HR 378 "Nurse and Patient Safety and Protection Act of 2007") and the California bill now pending (Hospital Patient and Health Care Worker Injury Protection Act) (This update presented with permission of Anne Hudson, RN, BSN, Founder, WING, Work Injured Nurses’ Group USA

From the Reading Room

"Safe Patient Handling of the Bariatric Patient: Sharing of Experiences and Practical Tips when Using Bariatric Algorithms"

A large percentage of bariatric patients admitted into healthcare facilities will need assistance with activities such as bathing, hygiene care of skin and wounds, repositioning in bed, assisting out of bed, and toileting. The resulting exertion, awkward postures, and spinal loads put the patient and caregivers at risk of injury. This 12-page article reprint allows the authors to share their knowledge and experience using the algorithms developed by the VA's VISN 8 Patient Safety Center of Inquiry. Click here to order a reprint of the article.

Methodist sees fewer injuries to nurses since buying new equipment

Over one year's time at Methodist in Peoria, 29 employees were injured while handling patients, resulting in the nursing staff logging 419 days of recuperation and 1,207 days spent on restrictive duty. However, recently the hospital spent $700,000 on lifting equipment to handle patients safely and with less stress on staff, and from May 2007 to April 2008 only six employees reported injuries from handling patients. Plus, only four days were spent recuperating, and 228 days were logged as restrictive duty. Read more here