Safe Patient Handling and Patient Safety: Identifying the Current Evidence Base and Gaps in Research

This article reviews the current safe patient handling evidence and reported best practices that enhance patient safety and clinical outcomes. The need for further research that demonstrates how a safe patient handling program contributes to a healthcare organization’s mission and financial bottom line is discussed. The potential role of safe patient handling in addressing current costly patient safety-related issues in health care (ie, mitigating missed nursing care, pressure ulcer and falls prevention, and facilitating early ambulation) is described.

Enos L

Keywords: safe patient handling, patient safety, clinical outcomes