Medline MDS400EL User Manual download pdf (Page 4)

Studies show that approximately

52% of all nurses experience

signiﬁcant back pain each year,

and 12% of nurses leave the

profession because of chronic

back pain.

1

Financially, a single

back injury can cost an institution

more than $50,000 in workers

compensation claims, lost time,

light duty, and turnover.

2

Despite

these statistics, many healthcare

institutions have been slow to

implement the proper lifting

programs and equipment to

prevent further injuries and

ensure safety for both workers

and patients.

1 Moses, E. B. (1992). The registered nurse

population: Findings from the national sample

survey of registered nurses. Washington DC:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,

U.S. Public Health Service, Division of Nursing.

2 Collins, M. (1990). Occupational back pain

in nursing: Development, implementation,

and evaluation of a comprehensive prevention

program in nursing homes

3 Waters TR, When is it safe to manually lift

a patient, American Journal of Nursing, 2007.

4 Department of Health and Human Services,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

National Institute for Occupational Safety and

Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number

2006-117

If you answer “NO” to any of the questions below, there are

opportunities for improvement.

YES NO

■ ■

1. Are we designing tasks to limit the amount of

weight nurses lift? (35 pounds is the maximum

weight a nurse should be expected to lift.)

3

■ ■

2.

Are we avoiding manual handling of patients

as much as possible? (Skin tears and falls can

sometimes be traced back to manual handling.)

■ ■

3.

Are we avoiding light duty as much as possible by

preventing injuries? (Morale problems sometimes

stem from light duty assignments among nurses.)

■ ■

4.

Are we decreasing our workers compensation

claims by enforcing safe patient lifting? (Back

injuries can cost as much as $50,000 in some

cases.)

2

■ ■

5.

Are we successfully retaining our best nurses?

(12% of nurses exit the profession due to chronic

back pain.)

1

■ ■

6.

Do we have an effective and consistent means of

determining if and how a patient should be handled

by a mechanical lift? (A proper assessment should

consider a patient’s complete medical history,

current physical condition and cognitive state.)

■ ■

7.

Are we properly training our nurses and do they

comply with our lifting policy? (Lifting policies

are sometimes ignored, with nurses choosing to

manually handle patients.)

■ ■

8.

Do we have enough patient lifts? (You should have

at least 1 lift for every 8 patients who require it.)

4

■ ■

9.

Are we effectively employing stand assists?

(Stand assists should be used for most patients

who are partial weight-bearing.)

■ ■

10. Are our lifting equipment and slings always in

safe and working order? (Frequent equipment

breakdowns and frayed or missing slings are two

reasons why nurses get in the habit of manually

handling rather than using lifts.)

Evaluating Your Patient

Handling Program

4

Evaluating Program

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