The Importance Of Occupational Injuries In Patient Care

Ingrid is a social worker, wife, and a mother who lives in a two story colonial home with her husband and two daughters, aged 8 and 15 years old. She was active in the school of her children, serving on committees and volunteering to read in the classroom. She attended to church habitually, though her husband did not accompany her. Her interests included swimming, snorkeling, and hiking. Not only was she close to her immediate family, but also maintained frequent contact with her college friends living throughout the country. As well, Ingrid requires moderate assistance with most of her basic activities of daily living (BADL).

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is supporting efforts to reduce or eliminate musculoskeletal injuries associated with lifting, repositioning, and transferring patients. According to the American Nurses Association (2016), the average nurse will lift 1.8 tons per shift and over 38% of nurses will experience a back injury during his or her career. The ANA endorses legislation that requires healthcare facilities to implement the use of patient handling assistive equipment. Through this initiative, the ANA hopes to ease some of the nursing shortage issues that are compounded by work-related injuries.

DOI: 9/4/2014. The patient is a 51-year old male paint maker who sustained a work-related injury when he missed a step on a platform and fell, jarring his back. As per OMNI entry, he was diagnosed with lumbar sprain and lumbosacral disc degeneration.

Nurses and transportation workers were highlighted as occupations at high risk of having non-fatal occupational injuries by BLS. NHIS survey was used to determine the prevalence of MSD among these two populations relative to all other occupations. The main findings of the study revealed that low back pain was more prevalent among nurses and transportation workers compared to other occupations. Data collected by BLS regarding MSD and lost workdays was examined to further study the relationship between the two variables. Both BLS data and literature review indicate that although nurses are more prone to develop MSD compared to other occupations, they are less likely to miss work even when compared to high-risk occupations. The present study

DOI: 12/13/2012. Patient is a 64-year-old male security officer who sustained a work-related injury to the right knee when he missed a step and fell down the stairs. As per Omni, the patient had a right knee meniscus tear. The patient had right knee replacement on 11/19/14. Per QME Dr. Murphy on 08/11/15, the patient has a 20% whole person impairment rating. Future medical care includes 4-6 visits per year for recurrent symptoms, narcotic/nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) in addition to gastrointestinal stabilizing medications, pain management specialist monitoring, office visit with an orthopedic surgeon once a year with X-ray, revision surgery in the future and bone scan.

DOI: 8/4/2014. The patient is a 37 -year-old male climber who sustained a work-related injury from repetitive climbing. According to the QME report on 5/27/15, future medical care provisions includes physician visits, medication refills, physical therapy, access for independent aquatic exercise as part of home exercise program, possible additional attempts at injection pain management and surgery.

Classical music performers face many challenges throughout their careers; dealing with an occupational injury is one of them. Nowadays, studies show that up to seventy-four percent of musicians suffer playing-related injuries. These injuries slow down musical growth, can take time out of performances and practices, and may cost a musician lose his/her carrier forever. Fortunately, today many treatments can be used if injuries are diagnosed quickly, and prevention methods are available to prevent an injury from ever occurring. Factors such as genetics and age (mental and physical characteristics inherited from parents) should be considered as well when a musician decides his/her practice schedule. The physical demands of long practice

Despite the national, state, local regulations in place injuries are at an all-time high worldwide. These statements lead us to a startling conclusion in order to provide safe and effective patient care we have to provide safe working conditions for our staff.

Powered stretchers and stair chairs are an excellent way to move patients, but the added weight of the devices has caused other problems. When using powered transport tools, they must be married to a lifting system. Ramps and winches, powered lift gates, loading systems and no-lift cots are all necessities. We have to stop moving patients with a sheet drag. Responders cannot continue to poison their body with inflammatory foods, dehydrate themselves, consume high sugar and unnatural processed food products and expect to be in good health. The only way to really decrease injury is to have good mobility and flexibility, adequate job specific fitness and have access to the right

The real world problem that I chose to address, is the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries amongst nursing staff due to unsafe patient handling. I chose this issue because, inadequate and inappropriate safe patient handling practices lead to an increase in work related injuries, restricted work days, and hospital costs. This is a challenging issue to solve because for over four decades, nurses have held the record for the highest job-related injuries of all healthcare workers (OSHA, 2014). Furthermore, despite the fact that seventy-five percent of nurses have access to safe patient handling and mobility equipment, thousands of injuries continue to occur each year. "Inadequate and inappropriate safe patient handling practices have

Musculoskeletal injuries represent a significant occupational problem among nurses. In health care settings, injuries are very common among nurses and other healthcare workers on the job. In the U.S. healthcare industries, the rates of injuries in the healthcare profession is highest. Unfortunately, healthcare workers are always at risk of suffering many different types of physical harm on the job. Workers can also be injured by a variety of people or things they encounter on a daily basis in their jobs. These injuries usually occur from manual lifting, moving and repositioning, or ambulation of patients. Nurses Association (ANA) has declared that Safe Patient Handling and Mobility (SPHM) is a top health and safety concern for both nurses and

DOI: 10/4/2007. Patient is a 43-year-old male upholsterer who sustained a work-related injury to his left knee due to being struck on table. The patient is subsequently diagnosed with impingement syndrome, right shoulder. As per office notes dated 7/14/16, the patient returns for follow up. The patient is frustrated due to denial of the right shoulder surgery. It was noted that the patient is still having very significant pain in both of the shoulders, more on the right. Objective findings revealed that the patient has a positive Neer’s and Hawkins sign bilaterally. He has active forward flexion only about to 125 degrees on the left and about 100 on the right. He has supraspinatus weakness, bilaterally. He has some scapular dyskinesis, bilaterally.

DOI: 5/17/2016. Patient is a 52-year old male technician who sustained a work-related injury after hitting his head on a light and losing consciousness. As per OMNI entry, he was initially diagnosed with concussion.

More people won’t be afraid to pursue their career as nurses if only hospitals just added using lifting equipment because it would be safe for nurses and the patients. By hospitals using lifting equipment it would help the nurses of not getting injured while doing their job as well as making the patient feel more safe rather than the patient being carried by people that probably would drop them. One of our cabinets the United States Department of labor has put thought of how they feel about if hospitals should or should not add lifting equipment as a tool to help patients. If hospitals spend their funds for lifting equipments, it would not only be safer for the nurses but it will give dignity for the patients since with the lifting equipment

This assignment will focus on one of the extremely important topics of the many hazards in the healthcare work place that may pose as a threat to my health and safety in the Care Industry.