by jbs092508 f3 — September 29, 2008—The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has posted a new Science Blog outlining research on Preventing Back Injuries in Healthcare Settings: Mechanical lifting device used in patient transfer.
The blog presents current statistics on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and other injuries experienced by healthcare workers at a rate exceeding that of workers in construction, mining, and manufacturing. NIOSH estimates the direct and indirect costs associated with the back injuries, due in large part to repeated manual patient handling activities, to be $20 billion annually.
NIOSH has a comprehensive research program aimed at preventing work-related MSDs with major efforts to reduce lifting injuries in healthcare settings. NIOSH has completed two major studies on the issue, outlined in the blog.
The first study incorporated the use of mechanical equipment to lift physically dependent residents, training on the proper use of the lifts, a safe lifting policy, and a preexisting medical management program to determine if these would reduce the rate and the associated costs of the resident handling injuries for 1,728 nursing personnel in a real world setting.
Another major study examined the long-term effectiveness of a safe lifting program using employee management advisory teams (participatory-team approach). Participants used modern, battery operated, portable hoists, and other patient-transfer assistive devices. Ergonomics committees with nearly equal representation from management and employees selected the equipment and implemented the safe lifting programs.
