title: Sit-stand powered mechanical lifts in long-term care and resident quality indicators.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine associations between long-term care powered mechanical lift (PML) availability and mobility-related resident outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Long-term care directors of nursing (N = 271) nationwide gave facility information on the PML availability and the lifting policy to which we linked data on mobility-related resident outcomes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Minimum Data Set Quality Indicators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four of six Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-derived resident indicators improved with the PML number but were maximal for the sit-stand lift use. In facilities with the fewest lifts, 16% of residents had pressure ulcers and 4% were bedfast. In facilities with the maximum number of lifts, only 10% had pressure ulcers (P = 0.000) and 2% were bedfast (P = 0.002). Although falls were more frequent with more lift use, this risk was blunted by a comprehensive safe lift program.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PML availability is associated with benefits to resident outcomes, and accompanying risks are mitigated by safe lift policies.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. pgucer@medicine.umaryland.edu
authors.forename: Patricia W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Gucer
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gaitens
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: McDiarmid
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005851:Geriatric Nursing; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D055805:Moving and Lifting Patients / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D009735:Nursing Homes; D061214:Patient Safety; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D012656:Self-Help Devices