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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. If you feel others in your organization might benefit from receiving Safe Lifting News on a regular basis, please forward along so that they can sign up! Please note: Effective with next month’s issue, Alex White will take over as editor of Safe Lifting News. It has been my pleasure to serve our readers.
Sincerely,
Melissa Nowitz
Editor in Chief
888-545-6671
Melissa.nowitz@hill-rom.com
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Results of Last Month's Poll Question
Click here to see the results and read some of the comments from participants.
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Kudos to L&M Hospital, New London,CT, for safe patient handling
Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London, CT, is a 280 bed Acute Care facility that’s an outstanding example of excellence in safe patient handling. “When I took the job as Ergonomics Specialist here at Lawrence & Memorial, the first challenge my boss gave me was to reduce back injuries that nurses and other caregivers were experiencing.” (Catherine Gouvin, Ergonomics Specialist) “It’s probably the highlight of my seventeen years working at Lawrence & Memorial.” (Ruth Moreau, Director of Occupational Health Services) “We experienced a 96% reduction in overall costs related to safe patient handling.” (Tim Greene, Safety Manager). Click here to order your 14.5 minute DVD showcasing the L&M success story!
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From the Reading Room
Bariatric rehabilitation tools for a population growing in size
Bariatric rehabilitation must now incorporate a multidisciplinary approach to treatment because of limitations on mobility, flexibility, muscle strength, endurance, and the addition of regular exercise. This article discusses which products PTs/rehab specialists and exercise physiologists are using most, what they are used for, how and why they are used, and the benefits to their clients. Read the article here.
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U.S. Army safe patient handling program benefits providers, patients
U.S. Army healthcare providers and their patients both will benefit from use of the Safe Patient-Handling Program developed by ergonomists at the Army Public Health Command (Provisional). According to Col. Myrna Callison, Ergonomics Program manager, “Over time, developing Safe Patient-Handling Programs will benefit military healthcare providers, patients and the healthcare facilities.” Read more here.
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Architects & Designers: strategies for accommodating obese patients in an acute care setting
In addition to the increasing weight of the general patient population, a boom in bariatric surgical procedures such as gastric bypass, stomach reduction and banding operations have been bringing an ever-increasing number of obese patients to healthcare providers. It is important for anyone involved in healthcare construction and renovation projects to understand these issues and be aware of the design, operational and equipment options available to them. Read more here.
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Pediatric Safe Patient Handling
Patient handling tasks have historically been recognized as the primary cause for musculoskeletal disorders among the nursing workforce. Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota (Children's) implemented an innovative and industry-leading pediatric safe patient-handling program to minimize the frequency of occupational injuries associated with patient-handling tasks. An analysis of workers' compensation claims revealed that the rate of post-implementation incidents was reduced by 71.4% when compared with Children's pre-implementation incidence rate. A review of risk perception surveys illustrated that most patient-handling tasks at Children's were perceived to be significantly less risky after implementation. Read the article here (Requires registration).
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Heavy Lifting: Medical First Responders Pay Price for Helping Obese Patients
According to the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, there is no information available to show the rates of injury in paramedics and emergency medical technicians. However, in South Carolina, estimates are that nine out of 10 paramedics or emergency medical technicians suffer from back, shoulder or neck injuries. Read more here.
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Placing slings under large patients |
| All the literature and instruction I see says to log roll the patient onto the sling. Our nurses find this to be extremely difficult when dealing with larger patients. Any tips on how to get the sling under these large patients who cannot help move themselves? |
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Susan Kent
Valley Hospital |
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Gait belt usage |
| Is there clinical research regarding the practice of clutching the pants waistband together with the gait belt to prevent the belt from sliding upwards? |
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| Bev Berg |
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Links between patient safety and personal practices |
| We are intrigued by the recent survey showing that nurses are moved to safer personal lifting practices based on potential risks to patients. Do you know of any references that link unsafe practices that put staff at risk for personal injury that also link these unsafe personal practices to patient safety events? |
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Gary McMillan
Sparrow Health System |
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Contraindications for use of mechanical lifts |
| Are there any contraindications for using mechanical lift devices? Such as joint replacements or any type of surgery or condition. |
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Heidi Steenrod
The Toledo Hospital |
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Ambulating patients with safety vest vs. walking pants |
| Please describe when ambulating patients when to use the safety vest over the walking pants with the Golvo. |
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Julie DeBacker
OSF St Mary Medical Center |
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*The Lift Doctor is actually a panel of clinical and bioengineering lift specialists at Liko |
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This Web newsletter is sponsored by Liko, a Hill-Rom company, and is provided as a service to subscribers. Articles and information available from third parties through links to this Web newsletter are provided "as is." Liko is not responsible for the content of linked articles or news items resident on Websites owned or maintained by third parties, nor for content openly accessible via internet search engines, and makes no warranty, express or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, or the clinical or financial utility of such information. Users should check the terms and conditions of use of each third party Website accessed via links provided by Liko. |
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© 2010 Liko. All Rights Reserved
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