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From the Reading Room

Large but unseen: Bariatric patients and manual handling (UK)

The levels of adult and childhood obesity are predicted to rise considerably by 2010, if current trends and prevalence remain unchanged. This article highlights some of the specific problems that should be considered by healthcare professionals involved in manual handling tasks, in order to comply with the statutory, moral and ethical obligations of providing care for the larger patient.

Cookson, K. (2008)
Courtesy of MEP Publishing

Reducing Nurses’ Injuries from Lifting Patients

Caregivers need their own helping hand when it comes to preventing injuries, and at Gundersen Lutheran Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, that comes in the form of more than 200 ceiling lifts that are available to help nurses lift patients. These lifts also help limit the severity of workers’ compensation claims.

“If a patient has mobility issues, we need to use assistive devices to move them rather than manually moving them, if possible,” said Kathy Weitekamp, RN, Gundersen Lutheran’s care manager of employee health services.

The safety of patients and employees continues to garner more attention as health care facilities strive to prevent nurses’ injuries from lifting patients. Read more here.

Click on the button to the right to order a Free DVD documentary of Gundersen Lutheran’s experiences.

Across-the-board savings with resident lifts

Savings -- not only in insurance and worker's compensation dollars, but in reduced problems for residents and staff -- accrued in a major way with the advent of a modern safe-lifting program at Garfield Hts., Ohio's, 156-bed Jennings Hall at Jennings Center for Older Adults. With a combination of staff training, new lift equipment (including ceiling lifts and electric beds), local foundation support, and academic research involvement, the program has seen several major “payoffs” in less than three years, including major reductions in injuries of all types (tables 1, 2) and costs related to those injuries (table 3). Along the way, the participants learned much about how new technology, used appropriately by an educated and committed staff, can positively impact resident care. Read more here.

Evidence and Effectiveness of Safe Patient Handling Programs to Prevent Musculoskeletal Disorders

Thomas R. Waters, PhD, NIOSH Research Safety Engineer, documents that technology is effective in preventing MSDs for healthcare workers, and Safe Patient Handling and Movement investments generally pay for themselves in less than three years (PowerPoint Handout).