Gottlieb ‘Back Savers’ Program Sets New Safety Trends, Decreases Injuries
Gottlieb Memorial Hospital has achieved 15 months without a single lifting injury among nursing staff, thanks to a hospital-sponsored minimal lift program called ‘The Back Savers’. “No back injuries for one year is absolutely phenomenol for an industry which statistically has one of the highest occupation injury rates of any profession,” said Mike Short, Safety Officer at Gottlieb. Nursing aides, orderlies and attendants are at a greater risk for sustaining musculoskeletal disorders than most American workers, ranking first at risk for strains and sprains in 2006, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics. In comparison, truck drivers ranked second and construction workers eighth.
At Gottlieb, Maryann Shamoon, R.N., Employee Health, leads the program that provides patient care staff with specialized equipment and training for easy lifting and transferring of patients. “Patient transfer devices were used 1,500 times in 2007. The equipment is helping the staff work safely and stay healthy,” she said. Nursing staff from each unit volunteer to be a Back Savers representative, which involves guiding the unit to use equipment properly and in the correct situations. “Back Savers is providing safety to both employees as well as patients,” said Short. “Back Savers has proven to maximize work safety, minimize work intensity and reduce staffing turnover due to on the job injuries.”
Changes in patient population, and the rise of obesity, continue to make nursing a physically-challenging profession. The American Nurses Association reports that more than 53 percent of nurses in America complain of chronic back pain and 12 percent of nurses leave the profession annually because of back injuries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2006, the average injury rate for hospitals is 8.5 percent, surpassing those of general industry at 6.3 percent. “By investing in technology and education, we are helping to make nursing a safer profession,” said Shamoon.