Investing in EZ Way company medical devices and equipment, training, and a safe patient handling program has been proven to reduce injuries and costs associated with manual lifting. Let's look at the facts associated with lifting injuries, and two case studies showing the benefits of EZ Way equipment and training, integrated with a safe patient handling program.
A LOOK AT THE FACTS
Healthcare workers experience some of the highest rates of nonfatal occupational injuries of any industry sector. More than 30 years of research and experience confirms that relying on proper body mechanics or manual lifting techniques alone is not effective to reduce back and other musculoskeletal injuries. The facts are staggering.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics report on non-fatal workplace injuries reveals that workers in nursing and residential care facilities had the second highest rate of injuries at 11.5 per 100 workers.[1] The incidence rate for injuries resulting in days off from work was 7.3 days per 100 full-time workers, well over the national average.[2] Patient handling activities accounted for over 70% of all the reported musculoskeletal injuries by acute care nurses,[3] and nursing assistants spent 41,450 days off work due to injuries, with a median of six days away per incident, a rate three times greater than the national average.[4]
Compensation claims from 66 healthcare systems shows that patient handling injury claims had the highest average cost of all worker compensation causes of loss at $14,100 per claim.[5] Indirect costs such as employee turnover, training of new staff, overtime, incident investigation time, and loss of productivity add to the cost of a claim which can increase the total cost by two to four times. A number of studies have estimated the cost of replacing a nurse including the costs of separation, recruiting and hiring, productivity loss, and training a new nurse. These studies place those costs in the range of $27,000 to $103,000 per nurse depending on the state and organization.[6]
Investing in a safe patient handling medical devices through a company program can help to significantly reduce the number of claims related to patient handling injuries and reduce the costs associated with these injuries. Below are examples from two organizations that have partnered with EZ Way.
RESULTS OF A THREE YEAR IMPLEMENTATION OF EZ WAY SAFE PATIENT HANDLING SOLUTIONS AND DEVELOPMENT OF A SAFE PATIENT HANDLING PROGRAM IN A LONG-TERM CARE ORGANIZATION
The results of a three-year implementation of EZ Way safe patient handling solutions in thirty-nine facilities in conjunction with the development of a safe patient handling program resulted in significant decreases in injuries, and costs associated with those injuries.
FOUR-YEAR STUDY OF PATIENT TRANSFER INJURIES IN A SKILLED NURSING ORGANIZATION THAT USES EZ WAY EQUIPMENT
Total injuries due to patient transfers were reduced by seventy-six percent (76%) over the four year time period. The graph bellows show the reduction in injuries by type and overall reduction in injuries.
Reduction In Injuries By Type And Overall Reduction
Costs associated with patient transfers were reduced by ninety-six percent (96%) over the same four year time period.
[1] Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2019. Summary Tables, Table 1. Incidence Rates of Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses by Industry. See https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshsum.htm#19Summary_News_Release
[2] IBID
[3] Schoenfisch, A.L., Lipscomb, H.J., Pompeii, L.A., Myers, D.J., Dement, J.M., 2012. Musculoskeletal injuries among hospital patient care staff before and after
mplementation of patient lift and transfer equipment. Scand. J. Work Environ. Health ePub.
[4] Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015a. Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Requiring Days Away From Work, 2015. Industry Injury and Illness Data - 2015. Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, Washington D.C, pp. 1–28. B. Table SNR02. Highest Incidence Rates of Nonfatal Occupational Injury and Illness Cases with Days Away from Work, Restricted Work Activity, or Job Transfer, 2015. C. Table SNR06. Highest Incidence Rates of Total Nonfatal Occupational Injury Cases, 2015.
[5] Aon Risk Solutions. 2018. Health Care Workers Compensation Barometer. Actuarial Analysis, November 2018.
[6] Li, Y., and C.B. Jones. 2012. A literature review of nursing turnover costs. Journal of Nursing Management. 21(3): 405-418.