In The News

Lift Program Celebrates a Successful First Year

White Memorial’s Lift Program, implemented in the spring of 2007, has exceeded expectations for its first year, and its success is being studied by other hospitals throughout Adventist Health.

The number one cause for employee injuries in the hospital is patient handling. The Lift Program is designed to reduce the risk of employee injury while improving the safe handling of patients.

After implementation of the program, work-related injuries dropped immediately. In 2007, there were nine lift-related injuries before the program and just five after the launch. In the first seven months of 2008 there have only been four lift-related injuries.

“Employee safety is a top priority for WMMC and I am extremely proud of the program’s success,” said Lynne Whaley, RN, senior vice president of clinical operations and chief nurse executive. “Our coordinator, Jesse Guerra, has done an outstanding job. Our nurses using the equipment have done an outstanding job. I’m very pleased how our patient care staff has embraced and supported this program.”

Diligent, our contracted vendor for the program, describes WMMC’s first-year implementation in one word: “Magic.” In just one year, WMMC has done better in reducing lift-related injuries than most hospitals do in three years.

While this overall progress is excellent, there is still room for improvement. Not all staff are using the lift equipment 100 percent of the time, particularly on the night shift.

“It’s a matter of getting used to a new system, and being consistent in using it every time,” Guera said. “It takes discipline not to slip back into old habits. I’ll be continuing to work directly with each unit, and I’m confident that we’ll continue to improve.”

Posted 7/28/08