Newbie lifting question

KLKRN, RN · Feb 28, 2008

Start weight lifting!

I'm only half joking here. Being in shape or getting in shape helps. (I'm your height, weigh 5 lb more and I'm 17 yrs older than you) One hospital where I worked required a P.T. eval of every prospective nurse, including a requirement to lift a 50# box and carry it across the room. I thought that was downright dangerous, but I did it.

I'm in better shape than I was then - 1999 - and I can replace the water dispenser bottle alone much of the time - but I don't recommend it.

Whatever happened to body mechanics classes and insisting on getting help to lift?

I've never tried to lift an oversized patient alone - with one notable exception that just about killed my back and introduced me to back spasms. In that case, the clinical specialist - neuro rehab - insisted that with proper leverage, any nurse of any size could handle any patient of any size alone, using only her own body. She claimed to have done it many times, caring for her disabled husband.

But the truth is, most nurses in practice will ask for help. And if the CNA's feel safe asking a nurse for help they will. One asked me 3 times to help her pull up pts that weren't even mine, because their nurses were at lunch or busy elsewhere.

EmmaG, RN · Feb 28, 2008

health care is the second-fastest-growing sector of the u.s. economy, employing over 12 million workers. women represent nearly 80% of the health care work force. health care workers face a wide range of hazards on the job, including needlestick injuries, back injuries, latex allergy, violence, and stress. although it is possible to prevent or reduce health care worker exposure to these hazards, health care workers actually are experiencing increasing numbers of occupational injuries and illnesses. rates of occupational injury to health care workers have risen over the past decade. by contrast, two of the most hazardous industries, agriculture and construction, are safer today than they were a decade ago.

today more than 5 million u.s. hospital workers from many occupations perform a wide variety of duties. they are exposed to many safety and health hazards, including violence. recent data indicate that hospital workers are at high risk for experiencing violence in the workplace. according to estimates of the bureau of labor statistics (bls), 2,637 nonfatal assaults on hospital workers occurred in 1999-a rate of 8.3 assaults per 10,000 workers. this rate is much higher than the rate of nonfatal assaults for all private-sector industries, which is 2 per 10,000 workers.

several studies indicate that violence often takes place during times of high activity and interaction with patients, such as at meal times and during visiting hours and patient transportation. assaults may occur when service is denied, when a patient is involuntarily admitted, or when a health care worker attempts to set limits on eating, drinking, or tobacco or alcohol use.

key findings for 2006 nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work:

- nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants, had 49,480 days away from work cases and a rate of 526 per 10,000 workers, which was more than four times the total for all occupations.

fifty-six percent of the injuries and illnesses to these workers involved health care patients, of which 86 percent were due to overexertion.

education and health services also had no change in the overall number of cases or the incidence rate for those cases when compared to 2005. in this sector, healthcare and social assistance accounted for 94 percent of injuries and illnesses. there were nearly four times the number of injuries and illnesses to women (145,370) than to men (36,800).

the u.s. department of labor defines a musculoskeletal disorder (msd) as an injury or disorder of the muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, cartilage, or spinal discs. msds do not include disorders caused by slips, trips, falls, motor vehicle accidents, or similar accidents.

the overall rate for all msd cases was 39 per 10,000 workers in 2006. the trade, transportation and utilities sector had 34 percent of the msd cases followed by the education and health services sector with 20 percent, the vast majority of these in health care and social assistance (69,880).

http://www.bls.gov/

according to the bureau of labor statistics, in 2000, the average nursing home injury and illness rate was 14.2 per 100 full time employees. comparable rates include: coal mining (6.2), construction workers (10.8), and truck drivers (13.8).

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back injury can be cumulative. i've known few nurses who can point to one specific incident resulting in their back problems, but rather it's repeated stress and strain that causes the damage. i'm still waiting for the us to catch up with other countries with regard to lift teams and 'no lift' policies.

http://www2.nurseweek.com/articles/article.cfm?aid=22078

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0mjt/is_5_14/ai_110807499

nightmare, RN · Feb 28, 2008

Why is it that the US is so advanced in certain areas and yet in this area is so behind? We've had no lifting or minimal lifting for years now and using hoists,slide sheets etc becomes second nature after a while.

OregonGal · Feb 29, 2008

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Back injury can be cumulative. I've known few nurses who can point to one specific incident resulting in their back problems, but rather it's repeated stress and strain that causes the damage. I'm still waiting for the US to catch up with other countries with regard to lift teams and 'no lift' policies.

I attended a seminar last weekend here in Oregon. A lecture about "Safe Patient Handling: Saving Your Career" The speaker was Lynda Enos, MS, RN COHN-S, CPE, she is the co-chair for Oregon Coalition for HealthCare Ergonomics, and is a consultant for the Oregon Nurses Association.

It was a very good lecture with emphasis on how there is NO safe method to lift and transfer patients manually. The effects are cummulative over time, possibly starting with fatigue, discomfort, pain, injury, and finally a disability. Lynda is working with employers here in Oregon to match transfer EQUIPMENT and training with facilities.

Her presentation was outstanding, and was in powerpoint format. She also demo'd some of the equipment.

As a newbie student nurse myself, of about the same size, I have had the same concern about how I would transfer/ambulate a patient larger than myself safely. I do ask for help. However, equipment, which is a $$$ investment for employers, is the best way. Lynda has costed it all out and how it actually saves employers money over time in disability claims, time off work, and patient injuries. It makes sense to have equipment.

As nurses, we need to be advocates for ourselves as well as patient safety.

If anyone interested in learning more or getting the statistics from Lynda, her email: [email protected].

I know that I could be one injury away from ending my nursing career, so I'm going to do my best to protect myself, and choose and employer that values employee and patient safety.

EmmaG, RN · Feb 29, 2008

I attended a seminar last weekend here in Oregon. A lecture about "Safe Patient Handling: Saving Your Career" The speaker was Lynda Enos, MS, RN COHN-S, CPE, she is the co-chair for Oregon Coalition for HealthCare Ergonomics, and is a consultant for the Oregon Nurses Association.

It was a very good lecture with emphasis on how there is NO safe method to lift and transfer patients manually. The effects are cummulative over time, possibly starting with fatigue, discomfort, pain, injury, and finally a disability. Lynda is working with employers here in Oregon to match transfer EQUIPMENT and training with facilities.

Her presentation was outstanding, and was in powerpoint format. She also demo'd some of the equipment.

As a newbie student nurse myself, of about the same size, I have had the same concern about how I would transfer/ambulate a patient larger than myself safely. I do ask for help. However, equipment, which is a $$$ investment for employers, is the best way. Lynda has costed it all out and how it actually saves employers money over time in disability claims, time off work, and patient injuries. It makes sense to have equipment.

As nurses, we need to be advocates for ourselves as well as patient safety.

If anyone interested in learning more or getting the statistics from Lynda, her email: [email protected].

I know that I could be one injury away from ending my nursing career, so I'm going to do my best to protect myself, and choose and employer that values employee and patient safety.

Thank you for the link and info.

I haven't been in school for some time. When I was, there was no teaching about the cumulative damage inflicted by lifting/pulling/positioning patients. It doesn't matter how good your body mechanics, you will strain your back over time. It's inevitable.

As far as facilities investing the money necessary for equipment and lift teams... hospitals are notorious for only considering the immediate, short-term costs, rather than what they save in the long run.

queenjean · Feb 29, 2008

Upon hiring to my hospital, the physical assessment includes some exercises and questions that are supposed to establish whether you can lift 50 pounds without difficulty. The nursing staff job description states that being able to lift 50 pounds is a requirement. And during orientation, all staff that comes into physical contact with pts (nurses, aides, RT, physicians, etc) have to take a three hour class from the PT department on back injuries, how to avoid them, and how to safely transfer pts, with and without the equipment.

EmmaG, RN · Feb 29, 2008

Upon hiring to my hospital, the physical assessment includes some exercises and questions that are supposed to establish whether you can lift 50 pounds without difficulty. The nursing staff job description states that being able to lift 50 pounds is a requirement. And during orientation, all staff that comes into physical contact with pts (nurses, aides, RT, physicians, etc) have to take a three hour class from the PT department on back injuries, how to avoid them, and how to safely transfer pts, with and without the equipment.

Cool. I'll lift 50 lbs. And then stop.

tattooednursie, LVN · Feb 29, 2008

Some of the facilities that I have worked at are considered "no lift" facilities. If the patient cannot stand and bear weight to the point where you are doing their physical work, you must use a hoyer lift or a standing frame with them. A lot of places have a lot of really cool stuff to make the physical work easier.

queenjean · Feb 29, 2008

Cool. I'll lift 50 lbs. And then stop.

Yeah, no kidding; I mean, we all know we have the staff to have one person for each fifty pounds of weight we are transferring to the bedside commode.....

P_RN, ADN, RN · Feb 29, 2008

As a BIN (back injured nurse) I beg you not to lift. As others pointed out Scotland, UK, Australia and others have definite laws about lifting. This would be a great movement for us all to get behind (no pun intended).