Jacksonville, Florida, August 1, 2007 -- Lifting, repositioning and transferring patients are daily events for caregivers, and that puts both health care workers and patients at risk.

According to the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (2003), nursing and personal care facilities rank highest in the incidence of non-fatal occupational injuries and illness, with 12.6 injuries per 100 full-time employees reported in 2002. The agency also reported that one-third of these injuries resulted in absence from work, and that nursing aides and orderlies were reported to have the highest number of absentee days (44,000) due to musculoskeletal disorders.

To prevent lifting and transfer-related injuries to its nursing staff, assistant care providers, technicians and other health care professionals, Baptist Health has become the first health system in Northeast Florida to develop a comprehensive safe patient handling/minimal lift program. The organization will use assistive equipment and devices on nursing units and in clinical departments at every one of its five hospitals to help caregivers safely lift and move patients.

Baptist Health is partnering with Diligent, a division of ARJO, Inc., which is a maker of lifts and other patient-transferring equipment in this effort. "The Diligent clinical support consultants are helping us create a cultural change in how we lift and move patients," says Chris Olinski, RN, MSN, COHN-S/CM, manager, Employee Health/Workers' Compensation. "This will be accomplished through developing customized policies and procedures, formal training on patient handling and transfer equipment/assistive devices, and ongoing clinical support."

Diligent guarantees a 60 percent reduction in employee musculoskeletal injuries in the first year, according to Holly Lemmons, MS, LPN, injury prevention specialist in Employee Health for Baptist Health.

"The average age of a nurse in the United States is 48 years old, and the average patient's weight is 250 lbs.," she says. "That's 20 to 25 years of lifting, causing wear and tear on a caregiver's back. When you combine that with the average patient's weight, hospitals are losing caregivers from the bedside, and these are experienced employees."

Baptist Health's Safe Patient Handling/Minimal Lift Program will roll out at Baptist Medical Center Downtown first in late October/early November. It will then roll out to Baptist Medical Center Beaches by mid-November, Wolfson Children's Hospital by mid-December, Baptist Medical Center Nassau by late December, and Baptist Medical Center South by early February 2008.

Those who will receive training include nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, radiologic technologists, nurses' aides, patient transport staff and any other employee who is responsible for lifting, moving or transferring patients. More than 4,100 Baptist Health employees will be trained on and begin using the new minimal lift assistive equipment by February 2008. In addition, 132 super users (coaches) at Baptist Downtown, two per unit, per shift, are currently being trained through July 31, 2007; a total of 225 super users systemwide will eventually be trained.

"This program will not only reduce the risk of patient handling injuries incurred by our caregivers, but also will increase patient satisfaction and comfort," says Lemmons. "We are very excited about the potential of this program and how it will positively impact employee and patient safety."