Cath Lab Digest - January 2008 - (Page 12)

12 CATH LAB STAFF HEALTH JANUARY 2008 Figure 2. The Ergonomic Survey (Results can be seen in Table 3) 1. Have you had to take days off from work because of an injury? other medical imaging centers; however, with a good model from which to work, standards can be modified to fit each specialty. Methods Shoulder Arm Wrist Hand Neck Back Hips Knees 2. Did you think this injury was work-related? 3. Did you need to get medical treatment? 4. Did the treatment relieve the pain? 5. How do you recover access sites? Please check which method you use: Manual compression average holding time in minutes Closure devices additional manual holding time Compression devices additional manual holding time 6. Or, if you have not had any staff injuries, please check below: We have had no reported work-related repetitive-use injuries As I said, I am not a scientist; I am a nurse in the interventional field. I reasoned that the best way for me to get the numbers was to go right to the source. I developed a simple survey that asked questions about staff injury patterns. The survey was distributed at scientific sessions like the American Association of Critical Care Nurses National Convention and the National Teaching Institute (NTI), in teaching classes through Cardiovascular Orientation Programs and the Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals, at EuroPCR, and at the New Cardiovascular Horizons Scientific Sessions. The survey was also printed in Cath Lab Digest, and was available both in print and online (Figure 2). All responses were anonymous. Real people, in the lab, just like you and me. Results Source: Holton M. Ergonomics Revisited. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Potential or real problem for cath lab personnel? Cath Lab Digest Mar 2005;13(3):53. Accessed December 13, 2007. Available online at: http://cathlabdigest.com/article/3914. The survey results were tabulated by the staff at RADI Medical Systems, Inc. (Wilmington, MA) (Table 3). RADI Medical has been the frontrunner in their support of this research. I have no financial interest in any medical company and am thankful to all the companies that are, like RADI, looking for ways to keep us safer at work. Table 3. The Survey Results (tabulated by RADI Medical Systems, Inc.) Completed surveys Number who stayed home from work because of injury Work-related injuries Received medical treatment Did medical treatment help? Labs performing manual compression (MC) - Mean holding time - Injuries from % performing MC No complications at all 256 163/256 (63.6%) 141/163 (86.5%) 125/163 (76.6%) 89/163 (54.6%) 25/160 (75%) 19.3 minutes 125/197 (63.4%) 58/256 (22.6%) 3. 849,000 cases of carpal tunnel injury occurred in 1994.5 Federal agencies and professional societies knew we had a crisis in healthcare workers, with the decline in actual nurses and allied health professionals. With the reporting of this data, another problem arose: those workers already in the healthcare field seemed to be at risk of workrelated repetitive stress injury. The Centers for Disease Prevention published a mandate titled “Healthy People 2010,” which has objectives aimed at reducing death and injuries that are work-related. It is an impressive document which can be reviewed and downloaded from the website www.healthypeople.gov. In 2003, the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers published “Industry Standards for Prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Sonography” (www.sdms.org). Both the document and the website are worth the time and effort to review and consider for your workplace. Of course there are inherent differences between cardiology, radiology and Discussion Survey results regarding recovering access sites were surprising, particularly the mean holding pressure time of 19 minutes. We may have identified at least one task that could increase the risk of carpal tunnel injury to our health care workers. Three of the seven ergonomic risks are involved in holding manual pressure. These are the risks of position and pressure, force and duration, which may explain the trembling of those hands that held for 19 minutes. Have you ever been told to hold a groin as shown in Figure 3? Or mash out a hematoma? This position hurts both you and the patient. Yet position is not the only issue. Duration is another ergonomic risk factor. How long do we need to hold pressure, and how long do we need to hold occlusive pressure? Fortunately, excellent teaching sessions already exist on the topic of hemostasis, on http://cathlabdigest.com/article/3914 http://www.healthypeople.gov http://www.sdms.org

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Cath Lab Digest - January 2008 Central Baptist Hospital Contrast Media Use in High-Risk Patients An Ergonomic Survey of Cath Lab Repetitive Stress Injuries Contents Clinical Editor’s Corner Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, a.k.a., Transient Left Ventricular Apical Ballooning Syndrome: An Acute Coronary Syndrome Imposter Searching for the Key to D2B STEMI Intervention News STEMI Interventions: Commentary The Massachusetts Stent Study The Value of Educating Staff Ask the Clinical Instructor: A Q&A Column for Those New to the Cath Lab SICP* Chapter Updates The Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals Holds an RCIS Review Course at New Cardiovascular Horizons 18:20 To Denver — One Student’s First Clinical Experience CEU Education Center Meetings Calendar What Do You Think? Clinical & Industry News Classifieds The Ten-Minute Interview with…Heather Vardon, RN Advertisers Index

Cath Lab Digest - January 2008

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