Survey of Safe Patient Handling Activities in Massachusetts Hospitals

Details

• Personal Author:
  Davis LK ; Laramie AK ; Miner C
• Description:
  Workers in Massachusetts hospitals, like workers in hospitals nationwide, are at high risk of being injured on the job. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) caused by overexertion (which includes heavy lifting), repetitive motion, and bending or twisting are among the most common injuries experienced by hospital workers. These disorders account for close to 50% of all injuries among healthcare workers that require time away from work among Massachusetts hospital workers, or more than 1,870 MSDs in 2011. According to estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, during 2004-2011, the MSD rate for workers in Massachusetts hospitals was consistently higher than the rate for workers in hospitals nationwide). MSDs among hospital workers are costly. Not only do they cause preventable human suffering and impose direct health care costs but they also result in thousands of lost work days and other indirect costs borne by health care workers, hospitals and ultimately the health care system at large. Manual handling of patients is recognized as the primary cause of MSDs among the health care workforce and has implications for patient safety as well. Comprehensive safe patient handling (SPH) programs that minimize manual handling of patients have been found to reduce the risks of MSDs among workers and associated costs in both nursing homes and hospitals. Comprehensive SPH programs have a number of interrelated components including, among others, requirements for use of patient handling equipment, training in use of equipment, and use of injury data to inform prevention and continuous quality improvement. Management commitment and mechanisms for worker involvement are also essential. Such programs are now required in a number of states. In January 2012, the Occupational Health Surveillance Program (OHSP) in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) established a Hospital Ergonomics Task Force to develop recommendations to address the high rate of MSDs among Massachusetts hospital workers, with a focus on patient handling. To obtain baseline information about current safe patient handling (SPH) policies and practices in Massachusetts hospitals and to inform Task Force deliberations, in April 2012, OHSP conducted a mailed survey of all 98 hospitals licensed by MDPH. Eighty-eight hospitals responded for a response rate of 90%. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Health Personnel Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Safety Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Health Care Workers Manual Lifting MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Patient Handling Questionnaires Safety Programs Surveillance
• Publisher:
  Massachusetts Department of Public Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• 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:
  1-17
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061319
• Citation:
  Boston, MA: Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2013 Nov; :1-17
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  Massachusetts State Department of Public Health - Boston
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Survey of safe patient handling activities in Massachusetts hospitals
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:58b61a38f7c56424682613755626d9711197cd6c7e9a92a3e695d925b742fb1ab665e2e2f4a2b8813b4f6350dbe9f53f3099ad36cfc61f8dd9f1d06b7f4e18da
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/224882/cdc_224882_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 181.89 KB ]