Safe Patient Handling What’s Your Safety Temperature?
Jan 12, 2016
Safe Patient HandlingWhat’s Your Safety Temperature?
• Understand the magnitude of patient handling injuries
• Learn what you can do to reduce your risk of injury
Objectives
Did you know…
• During an average 8 hour shift, nurses lift 1.8 tons.
• 12% of all nurses leave the profession annually due to back injuries.
• 52% of all nurses working complain of chronic back pain.
• Nursing is considered one of the highest risk occupations, 2nd only to truck drivers.
Rates of worker injuries by occupationAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
13.5
8.88.1 7.9
4.0
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Nursing Home Workers
Hospital Workers
Manufacturing Workers
Construction Workers
Miners
Decades of data have taught us that traditional methods of training on effective
lifting techniques, body mechanics and working in teams . . . .
IS NOT THE SOLE IS NOT THE SOLE SOLUTION !SOLUTION !
What can you do?
• Assess the patient’s abilities BEFORE moving them
• Assess attributes that might make the move more difficult
What can you do?
• Determine the best/safest way to move the patient
• Get assistance when you need it
Much like the flight attendant on an airplane that instructs passengers to place the oxygen mask on yourself first and then your child. . . .
You, as caregivers in healthcare, must take care of yourselves first in order to be able to take care of others.
“Your organization is perfectly designed to get the results it’s getting now.”
Dr. Stephen CoveyAuthor of The SevenHabits of Highly EffectivePeople
Safe Patient HandlingWhat’s Your Safety Temperature?