Protecting our military and civilian healthcare providers from risk of musculoskeletal injury is of vital importance as they provide the highest standard of care to injured Soldiers, retirees, and their families. Manually moving and handling patients is a risky activity undertaken many times each day by healthcare staff.
Implementation of safe patient-handling programs can result in decreased injuries, discomfort, and lost work time and increased morale and staff retention. In addition to these staff benefits, safe patient handling may reduce the risk of patient falls and skin shears. Because these factors affect the overall quality of care, it is crucial that patient-handling related injury risks be minimized and eliminated.
The AIPH Ergonomics Program is dedicated to assisting MEDCOM facilities with developing their facility specific safe patient-handling program or assessing their current program. The AIPH Ergonomics Program has collaborated with the Veterans Administration (VA) for nearly a decade as the VA has developed and implemented comprehensive safe patient-handling programs. Program elements the VA has identified include:
Ergonomic assessment of patient care areas
Area-specific equipment and storage recommendations
Equipment fairs
Identification of facility champion and unit peer leaders
Patient risk assessment and after action review
Safe patient-handling policy
For more information on Safe Patient Handling from the Veterans Administration 
click on the link and scroll down to Patient Care Ergonomic Resource Guide section.
Other useful patient handling links can be found at the bottom of this page.
The AIPH Ergonomics Program staff has used their relationship with the VA to identify and modify tools appropriate for Army healthcare settings. Through use of these tools, a comprehensive safe patient-handling program can become part of existing safety and occupational health programs.
The goal of this guidebook is to reduce the incidence and severity of job-related injuries related to patient handling and movement tasks. While there is much to learn about the science of safe patient moving and handling, the tools provided in their current form can serve as cognitive aids for both caregivers and patients. Derived from best practices within and outside health care, the program elements described in this guidebook have been tested within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and are being fully implemented on 25 nursing home care units and spinal cord injury units within VISN 8.
Similar programs are in various development stages elsewhere, including the private sector. As with any new product in field-testing, modifications may prove useful or necessary. Nevertheless, preliminary data from VHA and outside organizations suggest a decrease in the frequency and severity of injuries to caregivers through the use of this approach. In the long run, a decrease in the costs associated with such injuries, reductions in musculoskeletal pain, improved quality of life, and reductions in disability are anticipated.
A comprehensive, successful, safe patient-handling program can decrease staff injuries and discomfort and improve retention, recruitment, and staff work satisfaction.
Please check back at our Safe Patient-Handling website to see our fact sheet that looks at the benefits not only to the healthcare provider, but to the patient and facility as well.
Useful Links
VA Patient Safety Center of Inquiry
American Nurses Association Ergonomics Handle With Care
NIOSH Safe Patient Handling and Movement Presentation
OSHA Hospital eTool Ergonomics