and evidence-based
strategies that
reduce the risks of
musculoskeletal
injuries.
Most patient trans-
fers in the periopera-
tive setting are later-
al, points out Ms.
Totzkay. She says the
Veterans
Administration and
the AORN Workplace
Task Force have
applied the revised National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health lifting equation to specify a 35- pound weight limit for supine-to-
supine patient lifting.
She helped launched a cost-effective, easy-to-implement solution:
Staff must use an air-assisted lateral transfer device to move patients
who weigh 157 pounds or more from surface to surface. The use of a
157-pound weight trigger for use of an air-assisted lateral transfer
device limits the maximum sustained pulling force to 35 pounds or
less for each assistant transferring the patient. Complying with the
evidence-based 35-pound weight limit reduces spine compression
when moving patients.
When a patient exceeds the 157 pound safe lifting threshold at Ms.
Totzkay's facility, a pair of staff members place a lateral transfer
device underneath the patient and on top of the pre-op bed's mat-
tress. They inflate the device and, with the help of 2 more col-
leagues, slide the patient onto a stretcher and deflate the device
6 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9
• SHIFT WORK A relatively simple tweak of the traditional OR layout frees up floor
space and limits tripping hazards.
Center
for
Health
Facilities
Design
and
Testing,
Clemson
University
