Live from AIHce: "Patient Care in Motion"
Things are officially in full swing at AIHce2008 in Minneapolis. One interactive booth worth visiting on the expo floor is the "Patient Care in Motion: Interactive Movement of Patient Assistive Care Technologies" (booth 1911). Sponsored by AIHA Ergonomics Committee and AIHA Healthcare Working Group, with equipment donated by Hill-Rom and Liko, industry professionals are giving demonstrations every half hour with volunteer attendees as their patients.
Devices being displayed include an overhead chair lift system, lateral transfer equipment, and seated stand lift equipment. Kent Wilson, Safety Programs Manager at Hill-Rom, said the implementation of this equipment is important because it is designed not only to improve patient care, but reduce the possibility of nursing injuries. "This equipment reduces these risk factors and enhances human performance and productivity," he said.
In 2001, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in three nurses suffered a major musculoskeletal injury. The risks for injury to health care professionals are numerous and can include:
- Repositioning a patient in bed
- Transferring a patient between a bed and chair
- Turning a patient in bed
- Transferring laterally in and out of a wheel chair
- Transferring a patient to or from commode, toilet, or shower chair
- Pushing a bed
- Assisting a patient into or out of bed
- Lifting a patient from the floor
- Weighing a patient
Currently, several states have active patient handing legislation, including Texas, Hawaii, and Washington, to list a few. Several have legislation pending, including Florida, California, Nevada, and Illinois.