Safe Patient Handling: Q&A with Experts on the Future of Nurse Health

Musculoskeletal injuries suffered by nurses on the job are a growing epidemic that has been plaguing our nation’s nurses for decades. To raise awareness concerning this growing issue, the team at Safer America partnered with the Sacramento spinal cord injury attorneys at Shepard & Haven to create a professional Q&A resource. This article features passionate and insightful answers from an expert panel of some of the most recognized names in safe patient handling (SPH). Their occupations include researchers, professors, and registered nurses, among others. The panel members were each asked five questions on topics relating to SPH, such as risk factors that contribute to back pain, limits on the ability to effect change to ensure nurse safety, and obstacles hospitals and other long-term care facilities face. Listed below are the questions that were asked of the panel:

1. What risk factors influence spine stress during patient lifting and handling, ultimately contributing to back pain?
2. Will the use of machines and other equipment to safely lift and move patients ever completely replace body mechanics?
3. What obstacles do hospital administrators face when deciding whether or not to make the switch to machines and equipment to safeguard nursing staff?
4. How can hospitals be motivated to put the safety of their nurses first and implement the necessary changes?
5. What can be done to effect change at the federal level and ensure the safety of nurses across the nation? Does legislation need to be brought forward?

If you would like to read the entire SPH expert Q&A article, including the panel members’ responses, visit either the Shepard & Haven blog or the Safer America website for the original publications.