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774 Safe Patient Handling Program
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Tampa General Hospital

The most innovative component of Tampa General Hospital's workplace safety program is its use of "lift teams" - two-person teams that specialize in using equipment to lift and transfer patients throughout this 1,000+ bed hospital. The lift teams have been in place for more than 10 years and have grown from six to 22 full-time equivalent employees.

Image of healthcare worker viewing electronic charge on computer tablet
Having dedicated lift teams have contributed to a 65 percent decrease in patient handling injuries.

Some two-person teams are scheduled for specific units, working their way through the unit repositioning patients according to each one's needs. Other teams are available on demand; they carry wireless tablet computers to receive and prioritize lift requests throughout the hospital. Response times are as short as five minutes, with most calls being answered in 15 to 20 minutes, which means nurses and assistants can feel confident paging a lift team instead of taking matters into their own hands.

Hospital administrators say caregivers have enough patient responsibilities to worry about, so a dedicated lift team literally and figuratively takes a load off their backs. The lift teams also take responsibility for equipment maintenance and inventory, which ensures that the equipment is accessible and ready for use.

Having dedicated lift teams has not only helped Tampa General to overcome barriers related to lift use and accessibility, but the teams have also contributed to a 65 percent decrease in patient handling injuries, a 90 percent reduction in lost workdays, and a 92 percent reduction in workers' compensation costs per dollar of payroll.

Administrators say these benefits far outweigh the costs of equipment, team member salaries, and training. Patients and their families appreciate the lift teams too. Lift team members get to know each patient during his or her stay, carefully explaining exactly what they are going to do, and they use the equipment efficiently and with confidence. Patients of all sizes say this approach makes them feel they are treated with dignity.