A Review of Patient Lifting Interventions to Reduce Health Care Worker Injuries

This issue of Workplace Health & Safety contains a Continuing Nursing Education Module on “A Review of Patient Lifting Interventions to Reduce Health Care Worker Injuries” 1.0 contact hour of continuing nursing education credit will be awarded by AAOHN upon successful completion of the posttest and evaluation.

A certificate will be awarded when the following requirements are met by the participant: (1) Participant logs on to the AAOHN LMS website at www.aaohn.org/education/online-learning-center and enrolls in the course ($10 members; $15 non-members); (2) The completed posttest and course evaluation are entered online at at http://www.aaohn.org by June 2017; (3) A score of 75% (6 correct answers) is achieved by the participant.

Upon completion of this lesson, the occupational health nurse will be able to:

1. Discuss current scientific evidence of interventions to reduce MSDs among healthcare workers

The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is an Approved Provider of continuing nursing education by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc., an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is additionally approved as a CNE provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing (#CEP9283).

Contact hours received for successful completion of the posttest and evaluation may be used for relicensure, certification, and re-certification.

1. For their review, the authors

2. Focused on studies that implemented an intervention aimed at improving worker safety

3. Limited the review to lab studies

4. Included all studies that involved lifting

Rationale provided for conducting this review included:

The high cost associated with treating MSDs of healthcare workers

The increasing weight of hospitalized patients who need to be moved

The aging workforce

All of the above

Which of the following professional associations was NOT cited as one having adopted manual lifting guidance?

American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN)

American Nurses Association (ANA)

Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN)

National Association of Orthopedic Nurses (NAON)

Which of the following was NOT included in device interventions reviewed?

Ceiling lifts

Wheel chairs that become exam tables

Friction-reducing lateral transfer devices

Hydraulic stretchers

Device intervention outcomes were measured by

Number of workers’ compensation claims

Cost of workers’ compensation claims

Biomechanical forces

All of the above

What can be said about the educational interventions described in this review?

If education is good, other interventions are not needed.

Many education intervention studies were found.

The education efforts described here were successful.

Since few studies were found, education should not be an evidence-based intervention strategy.

Policy interventions described in this review

Showed mixed results on efficacy

Were all very effective

Were not effective

Were too many to make generalized statements

The authors concluded that

Assistive devices, education, and policy interventions described here should be considered “best practice”

Device and educational interventions may improve worker safety

Safe handling laws are not necessary if institutions follow best practices

Core training and conditioning are needed for health care workers