Washington State’s Safe Patient Handling Legislation: Does it Make a Difference?

Washington State passed safe patient handling legislation (ESHB 1672) for hospitals in 2006 with full implementation by 2010. We assessed the impact of the legislation by comparing workers’ compensation (WC) claims rates for Washington State hospitals with legislation and nursing homes without legislation over this period, focusing on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). We also compared implementation of safe patient handling in Washington Statehospitals with legislation to comparable hospitals in Idaho without legislation via focus groups and surveys. Over the study period, hospital WC rates for WMSDs declined more rapidly than nursing home WC rates. Washington hospital nursing staff reported significantly greater safe patient handling implementation than Idaho nursing staff.

Silverstein B, Howard N, Adams D

Keywords: evaluation, manual handling injuries, safe patient handling legislation