An economic analysis of a safe resident handling program in nursing homes

Details

• Personal Author:
  Lahiri S ; Latif S ; Punnett, Laura
• Corporate Authors:
  ProCare Research Team
• Description:
  Background: Occupational injuries, especially back problems related to resident handling, are common in nursing home employees and their prevention may require substantial up-front investment. This study evaluated the economics of a safe resident handling program (SRHP), in a large chain of skilled nursing facilities, from the corporation's perspective. Methods: The company provided data on program costs, compensation claims, and turnover rates (2003-2009). Workers' compensation and turnover costs before and after the intervention were compared against investment costs using the ''net-cost model.'' Results: Among 110 centers, the overall benefit-to-cost ratio was 1.7-3.09 and the payback period was 1.98-1.06 year (using alternative turnover cost estimates). The average annualized net savings per bed for the 110 centers (using company based turnover cost estimates) was $143, with a 95% confidence interval of $22-$264. This was very similar to the average annualized net savings per full time equivalent (FTE) staff member, which was $165 (95% confidence interval $22-$308). However, at 49 centers costs exceeded benefits. Conclusions: Decreased costs of worker injury compensation claims and turnover appear at least partially attributable to the SRHP. Future research should examine center-specific factors that enhance program success, and improve measures of turnover costs and healthcare productivity. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Health Personnel Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Cost-benefit Analysis Back Injuries Costs Health Care Personnel Injury Prevention Manual Lifting Net-cost Model Nurses Nursing Homes Patient Handling Return On Investment Safe Resident Handling Total Worker Health Workplace Interventions

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  469-478
• Volume:
  56
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20041857
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2013 Apr; 56(4):469-478
• Contact Point Address:
  Supriya Lahiri, PhD, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Massachusetts Lowell, One University Ave., Lowell, MA 01854
• Email:
  supriya__lahiri@uml.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Performing Organization:
  University of Massachusetts, Lowell
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20060701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20210831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3c5d403eff538ac5630ee16d7759995bb3c8056ee119f15600fad23e90a5a571b554c315977f81599233dfd7801e7c124e91ab2c87691ea5e5f0827c1e85eb17
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/194296/cdc_194296_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.08 MB ]