Nursing injuries, rising costs, government intervention, legislative action, employee demands, employee reluctance, cost justification and public outcry, which way do I turn?
The Administrator today is faced with many Safe Patient Handling related pressures. Whether motivated by voluntary or required state or national legislation, caregiver injury rates, rising costs, or patient care. Administrators need to accept and plan for coming changes. How well Administrators execute their Safe Patient Handling Program and all of it’s components will dictate whether it is a source of pride or a problem. The most successful programs, no matter how success is defined, are the ones with the greatest universal support.
Creating a culture of safety is the challenge and there are a number of outside sources available to you. Programs sponsored by major equipment manufacturers encompass all aspects of patient handling, not just patient lifts. If you have existing equipment, there are consulting groups that will assess your capabilities and needs and even provide experienced personnel to implement and train your employees. There are also a number of organizations dedicated to training and education listed in our resource section. There is no safe non mechanical way to lift or move a patient.