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Reducing back injuries through the implementation of a transfer assessment program
1150-20 C1996
(96FS-26)
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Issue: |
Reducing caregiver back injuries related to lifting and transferring long-term care patients. |
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Agency: |
Cowichan Valley Health Care Society |
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Representative: |
Eleanor Gilding |
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Funding: |
$8,000 |
Context: Injuries related to lifting and transferring of long-term care residents is the major type of injury for nurses in long-term care facilities. A 100-bed facility reported 63 such injuries to care aides and licensed practical nurses in one year. Nineteen of the injuries were related to two-person transfers.
Objectives: To improve staff assessment skills related to transferring residents and reduce related musculoskeletal injuries by 25 to 30% amongst aides and licensed practical nurses.
Design: Care aides and licensed practical nurses were trained on the use of a "Transfer Assessment" tool. The two-person lift was purposely excluded from the transfer options.
Setting: A 100-bed long-term care facility in the Central Vancouver Island Health Region in British Columbia, Canada
Subjects: Forty long-term care aides and licensed practical nurses were trained on the use of a "transfer assessment" tool.
Main Outcome Measures: Injuries and time loss days related to the lifting and transferring of residents was tracked for a one year period during training and for a one year period following training.
Results: One year following the full implementation of the transfer assessment program, injuries related to lifting and transferring of residents was reduced by 70%. No injuries were related to two-person transfers.
Conclusion: The number of musculoskeletal injuries (back injuries in particular) to care aides and licensed practical nurses can be reduced by conducting a thorough assessment for readiness to transfer, of the resident, environment and caregiver, prior to conducting the transfer.