Safe Resident Handling and Movement

Manual Patient Handling I​​​njuries in Healthcare​​​

Improper manual resident handling is a well-known, persistent, and problematic practice in healthcare. It can cause injury to both the resident and the worker, and can have consequences that affect the aging services organization at large. To combat the negative consequences of improper manual resident lifting, it is essential for aging services organizations to develop safe patient handling and movement (SPHM) programs, to provide education on these programs, and to enforce practices highlighted in the programs.

SPHM programs focus on minimizing the amount of manual resident handling (there are often exceptions in emergency situations). Such programs require staff to use safe handling techniques and assistive equipment and devices such as lifting equipment, lateral transfer devices, gait belts, and slide boards to help decrease the risk of staff injury and improve the safe delivery of care.

An SPHM program may incorporate any or all of the following resident handling equipment (6):

In the past, nurses and other healthcare workers were often taught that basic biomechanics could prevent musculoskeletal injuries; h​owever, this is simply not true. Healthcare workers should only lift a maximum...