Safe Patient Handling

The 10th Annual Safe Patient Handling and Movement Conference will begin March 29, 2010 and will run through April 2. The event, sponsored in part by the American Nurses Association (ANA), will be held at Lake Buena Vista, FL at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa in the Walt Disney World Resort.

In an effort to keep down injuries, organizations such as the ANA are sponsoring this event so that Safe Patient Handling information will be readily available. Safe Patient Handling is the terminology used to describe programs and research that attempts to alleviate work-related injuries in the health care setting. Nurses, aids, orderlies and others who must lift patients often incur knee, back, shoulder and other joint and muscle injuries because of their job.

These common injuries affect a significant portion of the health care labor force at any given time. Surprisingly, the risk of injury to healthcare workers is even higher than that of timber cutters and construction workers.

Direct health care providers, administrators, risk managers, educators, managers, industrial hygienists/safety professionals, and researchers interested in safety issues in a patient setting will find plenty of information at this event.

Those attending the conference will learn Safe Patient Handling methods via workshops and hands-on practice sessions. Conference attendees will have the chance to view cutting-edge innovations from all over the world. Conference materials include a Safe Patient Handling textbook, cognitive aids and tools, and other educational materials.

Session topics include "Low Back Pain Development and Patient Handling," "Top Ten Research Findings for Safe Patient Handling: Reader’s Digest Version of Science over the Past Decade," "Linking Patient Safety to Caregiver Safety," "American Nurses Association (ANA) Initiatives for Safe Patient Handling in the USA," "Practical Implementation of Patient Lift Teams," "Challenges in Safe Patient Handling in Emergency Departments," "Risks and Solutions for Safe Patient Handling in Operating Rooms," and many others. A complete list of the conference agenda is available at the conference website.

After attending this conference, participants, at a minimum, should be able to utilize best practices for patient care, assess possible solutions for moving a patient, and describe the common ergonomic hazards in patient care. Additionally, participants will be able to create risk reduction strategies and assess the cost and need for intervention in routine patient movement activities.

Links

Safe Patient Handling

Safe Patient Handling: American Nursing Association (ANA)

Sources

Background of Safe Patient Handling

American Nursing Association

State Legislation

Federal Legislation

Safe Patient Handling Quick Resources

Solutions for Safe Patient Handling

State Legislative Agenda for Safe Patient Handling

Handle with Care Recognition Program

Safe Patient Handline and Moving Toolkit

Preventing Back Injuries