Abstract
This issue of Workplace Health & Safety contains a Continuing Nursing Education Module on “Implementation of a Safe Patient Handling Program in a Multihospital Health System From Inception to Sustainability: Successes Over 8 Years and Ongoing Challenges” 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 November 2019;(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:
Describe the development and implementation of a safe patient handling program, including provisions for sustainability
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.
Overexertion injuries are the most costly workers’ compensation claims in health care settings Half of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in the health care sector involve patients/residents of the health care facility Traditional approaches to patient handling are not effective in eliminating caregiver injuries as a result of patient handling All of the above
Merely purchasing equipment that staff will use A fundamental change in mindset A strong disciplinary approach to violators Every direct-care employee be certified in one effective lifting method
The number of injuries to patients Costs associated with workers’ compensation claims Lost days due to WMSD Restricted days due to WMSD
Not establishing an urgent need for the change Not creating a powerful coalition to guide the change Celebrating short-term wins Not incorporating the change into the organizational culture
A well-publicized competition between hospitals to reduce injuries Peer leaders who were key players in all aspects of program implementation and sustainability Hospitals’ achievement of Magnet status Improvements in staff-to-patient ratios
Worker injuries due to patient handling Days away from work due to patient handling injuries Restricted duty days due to patient handling injuries Incurred WC costs due to patient handling injuries
Was anticipated, so coaches were trained to work with staff who were not supportive of the program Was not an issue for this program because enough care givers had been injured to ensure system-wide buy-in Could not be overcome in several units Was mainly a problem with younger care givers
Tell investigators what they already know: not all injuries can be prevented Can result in new patient-handling techniques Are only needed when a severe injury occurs Have not been shown to be valuable in reducing WMSDs