United States Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Sunshine Healthcare Network

Safe Patient Handling and Movement

VISN 8 Patient Safety Center of Inquiry, Tampa

Key Objective

To develop and test innovations and decrease risk related to patient handling and movement.

Safe Patient Handling Program and Facility Design: Directive 2010-032

Click here to download the directive

 

Conferences/Calls for Abstracts

Click here to go to our Conference Page 

 

Safe Patient Handling Nursing School Curriculum Module

NIOSH Publication 2009-127 Safe Patient Handling and Movement Web-Based Training 

Download the document (right click to open or save)

AACN Presentations

(right click to open or save presentations)

The Development of Policies for Patient Lifting in Acute Care Settings (Powerpoint)
Rick Barker, MA, CPE

Safe Patient Handling and Movement in High Risk Units (Powerpoint)
Audrey Nelson, PhD, RN, FAAN

Patient Care Ergonomics Resource Guide

Ergo Guide, Part 1 (PDF)

Ergo Guide, Part 2 (PDF)

Safe Patient Handling Guidebook for Facility Champions/Coordinators

Safe Patient Handling Guidebook (Word)

Safe Patient Handling Unit Binder for Peer Leaders & Staff

Safe Patient Handling Unit Binder (Word)

Algorithms for Safe Patient Handling and Movement

Assessment Form and Algorithms (Word)

Bariatrics Toolkit

Bariatrics Toolkit Options

Slings Toolkit

Slings Toolkit Options

Technology Resource Guide

Technology Resource Guide (Word)

No Lift Policy Draft

Draft of a safe patient handling and movement policy in development for one of the nursing home units in Tampa (PDF)

Restraint Policy Draft

Draft of a national restraint policy being developed relating to fall prevention (PDF)

Facility Safe Patient Handling Policy Draft

Draft of a safe patient handling and movement policy you can adapt for your facility (Word) 

Safety Huddle

More information about this highly successful method of knowledge transfer (PDF) (Brochure)

Click here to download a text version of the brochure

Safe Patient Handling in Inpatient Psychiatry

The area of inpatient psychiatry presents unique challenges to organizations seeking to implement a safe patient handling (SPH) program. With existing equipment such as ceiling-mounted lifts providing opportunities for patients to harm themselves or others, and floor-based or sit-to-stand lifts proving incompatible with the platform beds present in psychiatric units, maintaining a work environment that reduces the caregiver's risk of back and other musculoskeletal injury is difficult. Following a literature search and review on the subject of safe patient handling and psychiatry, a review of environmental design guidelines for inpatient psychiatric units, discussions with clinical staff and experts in this field, and a review of existing patient handling equipment specifically made to be used in a psychiatric unit, it was determined that there were two key areas of equipment development that would be required to meet the safe patient handling needs of this type of unit in and around the immediate vicinity of the patient's bed area. This report highlights the process by which a list of criteria was developed for the design of a height adjustable platform bed that meets the design guidelines for psychiatric units, and a list of criteria that articulates changes that could be made to existing SPH equipment design to meet the needs of this patient group and be compatible with the platform beds used in inpatient psychiatric units.
Click here to download the SPH in Inpatient Psychiatry document.

Communication Strategies Presentations

Conference Presentation: Strategies to Foster Communications/Matz

Knowledge Transfer/Communication Channels

Knowledge Transfer/Communication Sample

Meetings/Conference Call Agenda

Communication Outline Template

Safe Patient Handling  Bibliography

Click here to download a safe patient handling bibliography