Safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM) for increasingly bariatric patient populations: Factors related to caregivers' self-reported pain and injury.

This study was conducted at 5 Veterans Administration Medical Centers (VAMCs). A cross sectional survey was administered to 134 workers who routinely lift and mobilize patients within their workplaces' safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM) programs, which are mandated in all VAMCs. The survey was used to examine a comprehensive list of SPHM and non-SPHM variables, and their associations with self-reported musculoskeletal injury and pain.

Infrastructure Design: A Critical Element in the Care of the Patient With Obesity.

The worldwide rate of obesity continues to rise, causing healthcare systems to morph to meet the demands posed by the concomitant increase in comorbidities associated with this condition. Increasing patient weight imposes its own constraints on the safety of patients and providers; therefore, a sound healthcare facility infrastructure is required to properly address the medical needs of patients with obesity. Currently, most healthcare systems-in their attitudes, equipment, and facility design-are ill equipped to meet the needs of this epidemic.

Effects of a national safe patient handling program on nursing injury incidence rates.

Objective: The objective of the study was to identify which components of a system-wide safe patient handling (SPH) program reduced musculoskeletal injury (MSI) due to patient handling among nurses.

Methods: The 3-year longitudinal study from 2008 to 2011 used a pretest-posttest design. The study was conducted in the Veterans Health Administration, and all medical centers participated.

Patient handling in the veterans health administration: facilitating change in the health care industry.

Objective: To describe a 15-year process creating an industry standard of practice without regulatory support through organizational leadership.

Methods: Description of the development and rollout of a safe patient-handling program, including the initial scientific development, a cultural history, and agency data.

Results: Patient-handling injuries represent more than 20% of injuries to nurses.

AORN Ergonomic Tool 4: Solutions for Prolonged Standing in Perioperative Settings.

Prolonged standing during surgical procedures poses a high risk of causing musculoskeletal disorders, including back, leg, and foot pain, which can be chronic or acute in nature. Ergonomic Tool 4: Solutions for Prolonged Standing in Perioperative Settings provides recommendations for relieving the strain of prolonged standing, including the use of antifatigue mats, supportive footwear, and sit/stand stools, that are based on well-accepted ergonomic safety concepts, current research, and access to new and emerging technology.

Link between safe patient handling and patient outcomes in long-term care.

This study examined the relationship between safe patient handling and quality of care measures. A comprehensive patient care ergonomics program included six elements. Using a retrospective observational design, 10 quality domains were compared before and after implementation of the program for 111 residents living on 24 units in six Veterans Administration nursing homes using a general linear regression model with repeated measures clustered within time and adjusted for age.

Proper sling selection and application while using patient lifts.

In response to staff shortages, an aging clinical workforce, and research on safe patient handling, manufacturers have provided an extensive array of patient-lifting technology, including ceiling, floor-based, and sit-to-stand lifts as well as slings that are required for their use. Expanded choice, however, may pose challenges to both healthcare facilities and individual clinicians. These challenges, if not successfully resolved, can preclude the consistent, safe, and efficient use of patient-handling devices.

Development and evaluation of a multifaceted ergonomics program to prevent injuries associated with patient handling tasks.

Problem Statement: Nurses have one of the highest rates of work-related musculoskeletal injury of any profession. Over the past 30 years, efforts to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders in nurses have been largely unsuccessful.

Specific Aims: The primary goal of this program was to create safer working environments for nursing staff who provide direct patient care.