Bariatric Times - February 2009 - (Page 20) 20 Patient Management Perspective Bariatric Times • February 2009 Recognizing Trends in Preventing Caregiver Injury, Promoting Patient Safety, and Caring for the Larger, Heavier Patient by Susan Gallagher Camden, RN, MSN, MA, WOCN, CBN, PhD A Continuing Education Activity Earn 2.0 Contact Hours See Pages 24 and 25 for Post-test Parts A & B. S afety initiatives seem to transcend every aspect of healthcare. The Surgical Review Corporation Centers of Excellence (COE) efforts have integrated safe patient handling either directly or indirectly into at least three of the 10 requirements for status as a COE. Safety standards have affected not only care of larger patients, but patients of all sizes. From the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHCO) mandates, such as the 2008 National Patient Safety Goals, to Senate bills, such as the MEDiC Act of 2005, to individual hospital and clinic policies, there is a growing awareness of the risks of injury inherent in healthcare. Safe patient handling is one aspect of patient safety that concerns many clinicians involved with caring for larger, heavier patients.1 Literature suggests, and most clinicians would agree, safe patient handling must be a consideration in all practice settings along the continuum of care, whether addressing needs of obese patients in a physician’s waiting area, critical care, rehabilitation gym, parking lot, or the morgue. This article examines a comprehensive safe patient handling strategy that addresses the needs of larger, heavier patients—a strategy comprising assessment, administrative support, an on-unit safe patient handling mentor, specialized equipment, training, policies, and procedures—all with the aim of using new ideas to transform a culture of sacrifice to a culture of safety. THE PROBLEM A team of researchers at the Institute for Work and Health discovered that, on average, clinicians performed 38 patient lifts or transfers in their previous eighthour shifts. Further, the cumulative weight a nurse may have to lift within that same period of time is equivalent to 1.8 tons.2 This research was not conducted in a weight loss surgery center; therefore, the cumulative weight or number of lifts or transfers may be greater among clinicians who work
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.