Safe Patient Handling Stories - Southwestern Region
Note: Stories submitted by RNs through this Website and published here have been edited for clarity and brevity.
I worked for several years in a Level One trauma center. Every 12-hour shift was exhausting. I lived with low back pain and accepted it as part of my daily life. I subsequently went into occupational health and became involved in safe patient handling. I worked in a network of 10 hospitals, managing the safe patient handling program and successfully contributing to meeting network goals for the reduction of employee injuries. Save yourself first! That’s my mantra.
Nurse educator, Texas
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I am the Safe Patient Handling champion and been active in the installation of ceiling lifts. Many nurses have expressed thanks for the lifts, in both patient safety and their own.
Long-term care nurse, Texas
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Several years ago, I had a co-worker who was not practicing safe handling, nor was she gentle with the movement of patients. While she was trying to situate the patient on our procedure table, and I was setting up the procedure tray, I noticed that she was jerking at the patient’s bed pad to center him on our small procedure table well before I realized the patient began to roll off the procedure table. I quickly reached to grab him as he had approximately a 4-foot fall, was contracted, and would have landed on his head and knees. Fortunately, I caught him, however, not without risking my lower back. I have since suffered injury to L5-S1 and have lived with constant pain ever since. Luckily, the patient was not injured. We have only one back, protect it, as it will support you for more than 40 years of your career, and all it takes is one stupid move to ruin it for you.
Cardiology nurse, Arizona