Creating a Safe Client Handling Culture in Emergency Departments

There is a high incidence of musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) to healthcare workers in patient care environments while performing patient handling (PH) tasks. For years in health care, providing education and training has been the approach taken to prevent MSIs; however, research in this area has demonstrated that training alone is not effective for reducing the risks of MSIs or changing the work practices of healthcare workers. Due to its fast-paced, often chaotic environment and its variety and complexity of patients, the Emergency Department (ED) faces distinct challenges with respect to PH. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of embedding a safe client handling champion within the ED team at 3 intervention units to address PH issues specific to the emergency care environment and measure the effectiveness of this intervention on the work practice, safety culture, and rates of PH injuries against 3 control units. Reduced injury rates and costs were found in all 3 intervention units along with an improved safe client handling/safety culture.

Thomas-Olson L, Cloutier M, Helal N, Hutchison A

Keywords: emergency department, safe patient handling, unit peer leaders, clinical education