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Doctors Medical Center Launches Safe Patient Handling Program

On June 7, Doctors Medical Center (DMC) launched a new program to help protect patients from falls and staff from injuries. The $170,000 investment was supported by hospital Board of Directors as a best practice in the industry and because it is expected to provide a return on investment for the organization in the areas of recruitment and retention, reduced worker’s compensation and lost days, and increased patient satisfaction.

“We decided to make a culture change at DMC with our new Safe Patient Handing Program and the use of Arjo lift equipment,” says Mary Jo Sullivan, R.N., M.S.N., vice president of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer. “Our goal is simple, to reduce the risk of injury to patients and healthcare workers during patient movement and transport, and our new Arjo lift equipment is a proven tool that helps achieve these objectives.”

The hospital has worked with many departments such as infection control, transport, purchasing, nursing, and rehabilitation services to implement new policies and to provide the education and training on the new Arjo equipment for approximately 450 employees. Preventing patient falls is a key quality goal of DMC’s, in accordance with guidelines established by the Joint Commission, the nation's leading accrediting agency for healthcare organizations. Another major goal is to reduce the number of back injuries suffered by DMC staff.

Prior to the development of lifting systems, nurses, physical therapists and other healthcare providers routinely assisted patients in a wide range of transfers that required risk to both the patient and the healthcare worker, for example, moving a heavy patient from the bed to a wheelchair. Reducing back injuries means DMC staff will experience less pain, suffering, lost work time and disability, and also means DMC will experience fewer Workers' Comp claims. These advances are expected to increase the hospital's productivity and help slow the rising cost of providing health care.