Articles: lifting.
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J Long Term Eff Med Implants · Jan 2005
Review Comparative StudyTexas passes first law for safe patient handling in America: landmark legislation protects health-care workers and patients from injury related to manual patient lifting.
On June 17,2005, Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) signed into law Senate Bill 1525, making Texas the first state in the nation to require hospitals and nursing homes to implement safe patient handling and movement programs. Governor Perry is to be commended for this heroic first stand for safe patient handling in America. The landmark legislation will take effect January 1, 2006, requiring the establishment of policy to identify, assess, and develop methods of controlling the risk of injury to patients and nurses associated with lifting, transferring, repositioning, and movement of patients; evaluation of alternative methods from manual lifting to reduce the risk of injury from patient lifting, including equipment and patient care environment; restricting, to the extent feasible with existing equipment, manual handling of all or most of a patient's weight to emergency, life-threatening, or exceptional circumstances; and provision for refusal to perform patient handling tasks believed to involve unacceptable risks of injury to a patient or nurse. ⋯ Washington State is planning re-introduction of safe patient handling legislation, after WA HB 1672, Relating to reducing injuries among patients and health care workers, was stalled in committee in February, 2005. Language from these state initiatives may be used as models to assist other states with drafting safe patient handling legislation. Rapid enactment of a federal mandate for Safe Patient Handling No Manual Lift is essential and anticipated.
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J Long Term Eff Med Implants · Jan 2005
ReviewDevastating injuries in healthcare workers: description of the crisis and legislative solution to the epidemic of back injury from patient lifting.
The purpose of this report is to describe a crisis in healthcare, disabling back injuries in US healthcare workers. In addition, outlined is the proven solution of safe, mechanized, patient lifting, which has been shown to prevent these injuries. A "Safe Patient Handling--No Manual Lift" policy must be immediately instituted throughout this country. ⋯ The first state legislation for safe patient handling passed both houses in California but was vetoed by the Governor in September 2004. California and other states are preparing to (re)introduce legislation in January 2005. A national, industry-specific policy is essential to quell the outflow of nursing personnel to disability from manual patient lifting.
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J Long Term Eff Med Implants · Jan 2004
Review Comparative StudyPrevention of disabling back injuries in nurses by the use of mechanical patient lift systems.
Occupational back pain in nurses (OBPN) constitutes a major source of morbidity in the health care environment. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), occupational back injury is the second leading occupational injury in the United States. Among health care personnel, nurses have the highest rate of back pain, with an annual prevalence of 40-50% and a lifetime prevalence of 35-80%. ⋯ The Guldmann network has one of the largest and indisputably most experienced group of certified installers in the United States. The "lift team" method was devised to remove nursing personnel from the everyday task of moving patients. This type of intervention assumes that lifting is a specialized skill to be performed only by expert professional patient movers who have been thoroughly trained in the latest lifting device techniques.
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A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on the putative mechanisms of action of lumbar supports in lifting activities. ⋯ There is evidence that lumbar supports reduce trunk motion for flexion-extension and lateral bending. More research is needed on the separate outcome measures for trunk motion before definite conclusions can be drawn about the work conditions in which lumbar supports may be most effective. Studies of trunk motion at the workplace or during specified lifting tasks would be especially useful in this regard.