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E R G O N O M I C
S A F E T Y
Revisit the issue through periodic in-services. While it might be a challenge to ensure that nurses with decades of experience change their ways, "reviewing back safety more than once in your life is a good thing," says Lisa Moschkau, RN, BSN, MASL, the QI and risk management team leader at the St. Cloud
(Minn.) Surgical Center.
You've got options
The most common error that healthcare workers make with regard to patient handling is attempting the task manually. "There's no safe way to manually lift a patient or body part, because there's no safe manual lifting, period," says Ms. Harrington.
Assistance is readily available, though, and it's not just recruiting a few more
nurses to lend a hand — which is hardly a safer or more efficient solution, says Ms. Moschkau. "There are all kinds of gadgets on the market," including:
• Overhead track-mounted ceiling lifts. The gold standard for patient handling. On the high end of the price spectrum, but with a thorough return on investment.
• Portable lifts. Less expensive than ceiling mounted, but require floor space for use and storage.
• Non-motorized lift-assist equipment. Sit-to-stand devices let mobile patients participate in the task.
• Inflatable lateral transfer devices. Air-assisted transfers can be quickly and confidently accomplished with these tools.
• Friction-reducing lateral transfer devices. In-expensive, single-use drawsheets and reusable transfer boards slide patients with ease.
Alternatively, convertible stretcher-chair tables keep patients on a single surface throughout the entire perioperative process, minimizing the need for transfer and handling. Enforce safe handling by making sure the positioning devices are used. If they're not, find out why. Is staff inconvenienced because the equip-
