N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 5
A
s the
ergonomics
and injury
prevention specialist
for 11 hospitals, I
was responsible for
tracking the causes
of the most frequent
and severe injuries
by department, by
job title and by body
part, and using this
information to devel-
op action plans
focused on decreasing injury rates. During my career, I worked with
numerous surgical team members who suffered workplace injuries
associated with
• lifting and transferring patients onto and off of OR tables;
• lifting and moving heavy equipment; and
• standing during long procedures, especially when leaning forward
or twisting to assist the surgeon.
My job let me identify not only how your nurses and techs can
get hurt, but also how you can look out for their well-being as they
focus more on patient care than on protecting themselves from
harm.
• Understand the risks. Research shows most nurses who suffer
injuries don't report them (osmag.net/aR5pCQ). Future studies
Avoiding Surgery's Aches and Pains
Take steps to protect surgical team members from workplace risks.
Safety
Teresa Boynton, MS, OTR, CSPHP
• HEAVY LIFTING Reaching to position patients puts nurses at significant risk of mus-
culoskeletal injury.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
