Abstract
This issue of Workplace Health & Safety contains a Continuing Nursing Education Module on “Barriers to the Use of Assistive Devices in Patient Handling” 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 January 2020;(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 barriers to the use of assistive devices in patient handling, and implications for occupational health nurses
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.
Has focused on patient safety Is basically non-existent Indicates many ADs do not work well even when used properly Shows that work-related MSDs are a serious consequence of patient handling without ADs
Included several small hospitals Was done in a regional medical center Included long-term care facilities Focused on home-health care
Manually lifting patients is extremely hazardous to health care workers Training in proper body mechanics prevents WMSD over time Traditional body mechanics principles are equally effective for lifting objects and patients The amount of weight that nurses handle is well within the recommended weight limit for lifting
No-lift policies Lift equipment Job rotations Peer safety coaches
Will be appreciated by staff, but is unlikely to have a positive financial return on investment Will be offset by savings from fewer and less costly workers’ compensation claims and lost productivity Should only be done for units where many injuries have already occurred Generally is worthwhile for assisted living facilities, but not for acute-care institutions
Used a survey instrument from a previous research study Used survey questions not previously used in any other study Selected items from questionnaires used in prior studies Interviewed participants using a qualitative approach
Transferring to bedside commode and ambulation Transferring from stretcher and moving up in bed Ambulation and transferring to bathroom Transferring from stretcher and transferring to bathroom
Possess the knowledge and skills to present business plans to support the implementation of comprehensive ergonomic programs Must educate their colleagues and administrators on the effects of WMSD associated with patient care Should emphasize that worker safety must be a priority All of the above