Resident Lifting System St. Joseph's General Hospital Comox, British Columbia, Canada Presenter: Sandy Woiden, R.N., B.Sc.N. Vice President, Residential Services Prepared for: Northwest Center for Occupational Health & Safety Occupational Hazards to Health Care Workers Conference July 31 – August 1, 2002

WCB Injury Rates in Healthcare More days lost per claim, and higher injury rate than the provincial average for all B.C. industries combined Strain injuries account for 71% of serious claims Overexertion accidents (pushing, pulling, lifting & carrying) account for 54% of serious claims Primary care givers incur 60% of serious injuries Y2K base injury rates ↑ 193% over 1999

Hospital Union Surveys its Members 77% felt ↑ workload over past few years 55% felt mentally or physically stressed 46% had ongoing or chronic pain while working 49% used sick time to recover from muscle strain or injury at work, other forms of pain, or from stress in the workplace.

credit WCB - financial support Sid Fattedad HEABC employer support Gary Moser, Mike Arbogast OHSAH- evaluation Annalee Yassi Lisa Ronald Robert Tate Michelle Mozel Jacqueline Sewel Jerry Spiegel OH&S Committee-St. Joseph’s Resident Lifting Steering Committee- St. Joseph’s Maggie Little - Trillium Lodge

Scope Initial: 125 bed Extended Care Unit - resident rooms - bathing facilities Subsequent: Acute - Diagnostic Imaging - Intensive Care Unit - All OR’s - Selective wards, acute care - Morgue

Perspective Qualitative ‘Evaluation of the Resident Lifting System Project, St.Joseph’s Hospital, Comox ‘ prepared Dec.2000 OHSAH Experiential

Background Equipment Ceiling lift Floor lifts Slings Policy Lift vs.Transfer “No lift” policy Lift Designation

Improved Work Environment

Space constrained

Space unrestrained

Storage

High Risk Work Practices Eliminated Unsafe Transfers -due to compromising factors: -resident -staff -equipment Unsafe Lifts ie: lift off the floor, moving up in chair or bed

Chicken lift

Mismatched Surface Heights

6 person lift eliminated

Ceiling lift to stretcher

Repositioning in chair

Turning a resident in bed

Weighing residents

Employee accommodation

Quality of Daily Life Residents are able to: -plan their own day -be spontaneous -be more independent -make use of a wider variety of equipment

Complex seating

Variable chair heights

Family response

Reduction in resident anxiety

Resident operating lift on their own

Retirement of the bed pan

Appreciative Resident

Emergency Lowering Simple Maintenance Resident Comfort Features Emergency Lowering Simple Maintenance Resident Comfort

Power failure release

Simplicity of maintenance

Resident Comfort Floor Lifts have disadvantages that are eliminated with an Overhead Lifting System

Floor lift spreader bar

Bumping legs

Privacy adaptation for ceiling track gantry

Other Applications Intensive Care Unit Diagnostic Imaging Operating Rooms Acute Care Morgue

ICU repositioning of patients

Options to fixed power units

Application in outpatients and radiology

OR-urology

OR orthopedics

Residents Employees Financial Reversal of MSI spiral Benefits Residents Employees Financial Reversal of MSI spiral

Effectiveness of Installing Overhead Ceiling Lifts (AAOHN Journal 2002; 50(3), 120-127) Summary: Installation of ceiling lifts in combination with an appropriate training program is effective in reducing the number of musculoskeletal injures (MSI) from lifting and transferring patients in an extended care unit.

It is important to divide injury types into tasks being performed at the time of the injury to evaluate the effectiveness of specific types of patient handling equipment. Assessing subjective views of both staff and patients is essential to an effective evaluation.

Implementing a Resident Lifting System in an Extended Care Hospital (AAOHN Journal 2002; 50(3), 128-134.) Summary: 1. Implementing mechanical resident lifting equipment in an extended care facility produced payback from direct savings alone within 4 years. Payback occurred more quickly when the effect of indirect savings or the trend to rising compensation costs was considered.

2. Combining the observations of the occupational health nurses related to staff well being with relevant cost-benefit data is useful in influencing decision-makers and in securing funding for prevention measures. 3. Clear identification of a viewpoint is an important part of an economic evaluation and cost-benefit analysis.

Thank you for inviting me!! Come and visit our beautiful Comox Valley on Vancouver Island Skiing Fishing Golf