Reducing Staff Injuries: The Impact of a Safe Patient Handling Program

Purpose:
An innovative and comprehensive Safe Patient Handling (SPH) Program was developed to reduce staff injuries and decrease the considerable costs associated with the manual handling of patients.

Significance:
Staff injuries result in substantial costs to healthcare organizations. In our Veterans Affairs hospital system, the number of paid claims for manual patient handling injuries increased 13% from Fiscal Year (FY)07 through FY09, resulting in expenditures close to $500,000.

Strategy and Implementation:
A SPH Program was implemented incrementally beginning in 2009. In 2010, a coordinator was appointed to build the comprehensive program infrastructure, including equipment selection and purchase, interdisciplinary partner selection, unit-level peer leader (UPL) development, staff training and integration of supply distribution and cleaning systems. Building on the existing shared governance infrastructure, an interdisciplinary committee was formed to create a solid foundation for the program. The committee identified program goals, developed policy and reviewed injuries. Equipment and training needs were assessed via phone interviews and site visits. In 2011, the UPL cohort expanded rapidly from 12 to 60 people. A dynamic 8-hour didactic and hands-on training for the UPLs launched the initiative. UPLs have an ongoing expectation to sustain the minimal lift culture on their units, perform staff training and participate in meetings. The UPLs are the core of success for the program.

Evaluation:
Staff injuries due to manual patient handling decreased 20% (from 57 to 46) and total compensation costs decreased 64% (from $144,859 to $51,387) from FY09 through FY11. This trend continues with only 17 staff injuries reported in the first two quarters of FY12.

Implications for Practice:
Our program illustrates the benefits of safe patient handling; reductions in staff injuries and cost savings to the organization were significant. Easily accessible SPH equipment, a dedicated program coordinator and the UPL role are pivotal in cultivating and sustaining a minimal lift culture.