Safe Patient Handling Toolkit

Guidelines/Recommendations

Beyond Getting Started: A Resource Guide for Implementing a Safe Patient Handling Program in the Acute Care Setting

A resource guide addressing patient handling with the goal of providing necessary tools for occupational health professionals to implement a safe patient handling program.

Guidelines/Recommendations

Safe Patient Handling Programs: Effectiveness and Cost Savings

Safe patient handling programs pay for themselves. This resource provides information on the effectiveness and cost savings of safe patient handling programs.

Guidelines/Recommendations

Safe Patient Handling Programs: Learn from the Leaders

This document provides information from leading hospitals that have implemented and benefitted from safe patient handling programs.

Webinar Slides

Veterans Health Administration: A Model Safe Patient Handling and Movement Program

A PowerPoint presentation presenting a sample model for a safe patient handling and movement program.

Guidelines/Recommendations

Massachusetts Nurses Association: Safe Patient Handling Toolkit

A comprehensive guide to safe patient handling from the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The guide addresses many issues related to safe patient handling such as consequences of inappropriate lifting techniques, benefits of safe patient handling programs, types of patient movement and lifts and tips to avoid back injuries.

Guidelines/Recommendations

Safe Patient Handling: Busting the Myths

Facts about moving patients, the use of mechanical equipment and creating a change of culture.

Assessment tools

Safe Patient Handling: A Self-Assessment

This self-assessment tool examines the number and nature of patient handling injuries occurring in your organization.

Checklists

Safe Patient Handling Program Checklist

Use this checklist to compare your current policies and practices against best practices in safe patient handling.

Guidelines/Recommendations

Functional Activity and Mobility: Documentation for Hospitalized Adults from Johns Hopkins

Tools for improving patient outcomes in activity and mobility. It addresses incorporating safe patient handling into care plans and includes case studies on the use of an activity scale to determine the patient’s level of movement assistance.

Guidelines/Recommendations

AORN Guidance Statement: Safe Patient Handling and Movement in the Perioperative Setting

This guide provides resources for safe patient handling and movement in surgical areas. It was developed by identifying high-risk tasks performed in the perioperative area and developing evidence-based solutions to reduce the risk of injury.

Assessment tools

Duke Moves: The Bedside Mobility Assessment Tool

This bedside mobility assessment tool can be utilized to test a patient’s ability to move safely.

Assessment tools

Duke Moves: BMAT-Adult Bedside Mobility Assessment Tool

Nurses can use this tool to assess patient mobility at the bedside. It facilitates decision making as to the proper lifting technique required for the patient.

Evaluation tools

Outcomes Measurement Samples

Sample outcome measures that can be used to measure the success of your SPHM program. This document contains both examples of short and long term measures that can be put in place. Each sample measure includes what it is expected to evaluate and the numerator and denominator that should be collected to calculate the compliance.

Assessment tools

Patient Handling and Mobility Assessments: A White Paper

A comprehensive white paper to address Safe Patient Handling and Mobility from the perspective of technology, physical facility design and construction, and the business case for SPHM programs. This white paper is based on a wealth of research which recognizes the significant risks of manual patient handling to caregivers and to patients.

Flyer/Sign/Poster

Need a Lift? Just Ask Flyer

Post this flyer in patient rooms to remind them to call if they need to be moved or lifted.

Guidelines/Recommendations

Lifting and Material Handling

Injuries in the workplace are frequently caused by lifting heavy items. This document provides tips on the correct way to handle the lifting of heavy items.

Algorithms

OSHA & Worker Safety: Handling with Care – Practicing Safe Patient Handling

These tips present safe patient handling practices for healthcare workers. It supplies algorithms for safety in transfers common to healthcare workers daily.

OSHA Resources

This resource from OSHA provides tools and programs for heathcare facilities implementing safe handling programs.

Webinar

Webinar: The Direct Link Between Hospital Safety and Patient Satisfaction

It is vital for healthcare professionals to understand how the lack of a solid risk management program directly correlates to poor patient satisfaction. Failure upon the part of healthcare organizations to provide employee safety programs, equipment and routine training creates an environment primed for error. These errors can lead to major professional liability, organizational, and reputational consequences.

This webinar explains how creating a culture of safety within your healthcare organization helps mitigate risks, reduces injury and error, and ultimately increases patient satisfaction.

Flyer/Sign/Poster

10 Commandments of Lifting

A quick guide that can be printed as pocket cards for staff education. This guide is to remind staff of the most important points to consider before lifting anything, including patients.

Guidelines/Recommendations

Safe Patient Handling: Recommended Best Practices

A presentation created by the University of Texas-School of Public Health. This presentation contains key information about the components of Safe Patient Handling programs recommended by OSHA and NIOSH, it describes techniques and strategies for managing patient handling and discusses how recommendations can be incorporated into your organizational policies for safe patient handling.