
			September 2009

Dear Subscriber,

Welcome to the latest Issue of Safe Lifting News. Our mission is to keep you informed about what's happening in the world of safe patient lifting and caregiver injury prevention.

Please consider participating in our Safe Lifting Poll, below... and we always encourage our readers to submit questions for our popular column, "Ask the Lift Doctor." Just use the link below. And thanks for your ideas and feedback, we truly appreciate your interest and participation!

Sincerely,

Melissa Nowitz
Editor in Chief
888-545-6671
Melissa.nowitz@hill-rom.com

Take our September Poll

Patients sometimes refuse to be lifted by mechanical means. Do you feel all patients should be required to sign a “consent” form upon admission, requiring their cooperation in use of patient lifting systems in order to prevent caregiver injuries? Click here to respond.

“Mini” Safe Lifting Stickers – another new tool to encourage caregiver participation…

Here’s a new injury prevention “tool,” courtesy of the Safe Lifting Portal.

BACKGROUND: Nurses and administrators from the Cooley-Dickinson Hospital, Northampton, MA, recently came up with an innovative suggestion to encourage caregiver participation in their hospital’s safe lifting program. Their proposed solution? Offer employees “mini-sized” safe lifting environment stickers to affix to their badges. Shown here is a sheet of 90 of the latex-free, postage-stamp sized stickers. Click here to order a free sample sheet. For additional sheets, please visit here.

Do YOU have an innovative idea or suggested new tool to encourage caregiver injury prevention? Please send an email to Melissa.nowitz@hill-rom.com.

“CHAPS” coalition formed to reduce manual handling injuries

“CHAPS” – The Coalition for Healthcare Worker and Patient Safety – has been formed by a broad coalition of parties under the leadership of Marsha Medlin, RN. The group is dedicated to promote passage of HR2381, the Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009, a federal bill sponsored by Representative John Conyers of Michigan. Among the participants are WING USA, UAN, SEIU, and the Minnesota Nurses Association MNA. Because more co-sponsors are needed to move the bill forward, our readers may wish to participate by contacting their U.S. Representatives. For more information about CHAPS, or to be added to the CHAPS e-mail list, contact mmedlin498@aol.com. Story courtesy of Anne Hudson, RN, BSN, Founder, Work Injured Nurses’ Group USA.

Audrey Nelson again honored for her accomplishments...

Audrey Nelson, PhD, has again been recognized for her many important contributions to safe patient handling and caregiver injury prevention. She was cited as “Federal Player of the Week” on August 10, 2009, by the Partnership for Public Service. Dr. Nelson, a medical researcher at the Department of Veterans Affairs, began her quest 20 years ago to decrease the number of musculoskeletal injuries among nurses. "Because of her tireless dedication to improving care and getting people to work together, we have the best practices for moving patients that will keep them safe, and that will keep nurses safe and in the profession longer," said Stephen Lucas, director of the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, Fla. Read the news article here.

From the Reading Room

Across-the-board savings with resident lifts

This article documents a variety of savings that resulted from adoption of a safe lifting program at Garfield Hts., Ohio's, 156-bed Jennings Hall at Jennings Center for Older Adults. Benefits included not only insurance and worker's compensation dollars, but reduced problems for residents and staff. 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. To learn how new technology, used appropriately by an educated and committed staff, can positively impact resident care, click here.

Summaries of Recent Studies Detailing the Cost Benefits of Safe Patient Handling

This UAN document provides convenient summaries of three different studies that can help you make a business case for implementation of a Safe Patient Handling program in your facility. Click here.

Or, to calculate an estimated Return-on-Investment based on your specific facility’s workers’ compensation figures, click here.

ON THE LEGISLATIVE FRONT: Nurses ask for help lifting heavy patients

Heavier patients mean nurses and nursing assistants are lifting 200- to 400-pound patients several times a day, often with no assistance, according to a recent statement from the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The association has proposed legislation calling for hospitals to provide a system to help nurses safely lift and handle patients. Click here.

Obesity statistics show, the trend continues…

It’s that time of year, when America’s annual obesity rankings are reported. Other than a fairly lean Colorado, there’s little good news. In 31 states, more than one in four adults are obese, according to a new report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. To review this year’s results click here.

Safe Patient Handling Programs: Evaluating Outcomes

This PowerPoint presentation, courtesy of the WA State Department of Labor and Industries, provides numerous useful insights toward supporting initiation of a safe patient handling program in your facility. Visit here.

Patient refuses use of ceiling lift

What do you recommend to say to a patient when they are refusing to use a ceiling lift or they refuse to use repositioning aids and they are bariatric and putting staff at risk of injury?

Heidi Steenrod
The Toledo Hospital

Gait belt for ambulating an obese patient

Can a gait belt be used around a patient’s chest for ambulation when they’re obese?

Tina Miller
Valley Center

Transferring patient from bed to wheelchair

I am a CNA for a hospice agency. I go into homes of patients who do not have access to any type of lifting equipment, just a gait belt. My question is how do I lift a patient from bed to wheelchair properly. I have been trained to have the pt. wrap their hands around the neck but I know THIS IS WRONG. So what do I do?

Roy Brown
Caris

*The Lift Doctor is actually a panel of clinical and bioengineering lift specialists at Liko