Saving costs, saving health care providers' backs, and creating a safe patient environment.
Back injuries are increasing among health care providers and are related to a multitude of factors, including repetitive tasks related to patient handling, the aging of the nursing workforce, higher patient acuity levels, and an increased prevalence of obesity in patients, as well as limited workspaces in patient rooms. An estimated 12% of nurses leave the profession annually because of back injuries, and more than 52% complain of chronic back pain and injuries. Implemented in response to rising costs of health care providers' injuries, a safe patient handling program resulted in decreased injuries from staff performing work-related duties, and decreased workers' compensation claims, which resulted in significant cost savings and improved patient satisfaction.
Hunter
Becky
B
Northwest Texas Healthcare Systems, Amarillo, TX, USA.
Branson
Marietta
M
Davenport
Deborah
D
D019567:Back Injuries / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006282:Health Personnel; D006284:Health Plan Implementation; D006801:Humans; D055805:Moving and Lifting Patients / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017751:Safety Management / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*; D013781:Texas