Safe Patient Handling and Mobility

Moving patients and residents without injuring them or yourself, for nurses, nursing assistants, therapists and transporters: why manual patient lifting causes so many back and shoulder injuries, OSHA guidance, the state safe patient handling laws and the ANA standards, assessing patient mobility and choosing the right method, ceiling and floor lifts, sit-to-stand aids, slings and their inspection, slide sheets and lateral transfer devices, repositioning in bed, falls and controlled lowering, bariatric care, handling in home health, and building a safe patient handling program on a unit.

HSE-391 12 lessons · 4 h 54 min ▶ Video lessons coming soon

Offered by HSM University · Safety Training

This is the American version of this course. See the Canadian version.

What you'll learn

Explain why manual patient handling causes so many back and shoulder injuries, why body mechanics training alone does not prevent them, and how the patient handling guideline limits the load on one worker.
Describe the rules that apply to patient handling in Minnesota, including the General Duty Clause, Minnesota's safe patient handling law, OSHA and ANA guidance, and the elements of a strong safe patient handling policy.
Assess a patient's mobility with a structured bedside tool and turn the result into a handling method, equipment and care plan.
Operate ceiling and floor lifts safely, including pre-use checks, positioning, emergency lowering and the staffing each lift needs.
Select, fit and inspect slings of the right type and size, and take damaged or unlabeled slings out of service.
Decide when a sit-to-stand or standing aid is suitable and use it safely, including reassessing patients whose ability changes.
Reposition patients in bed and perform lateral transfers using friction-reducing and air-assisted devices, explaining why these tasks are hazardous.
Respond safely to a falling or fallen patient: avoid catching, use controlled lowering only when in position, assess before moving, and use safe methods to get a patient up.
Plan the care of bariatric patients, checking every item's safe working load, arranging equipment, space and staff before arrival, and protecting the patient's dignity.
Assess homes and clients in home and community care, produce a handling plan, handle refusals and family situations, and match visit schedules to the plan.
Keep patient handling equipment available and safe through planning, storage, charging, inspection, maintenance, sling management and availability audits.
Build, measure and sustain a safe patient handling program on a unit using a cycle of commitment, assessment, equipment, training, daily use, measurement and review.

Course content

12 lessons · 4 h 54 min total · final exam

1 Why patient handling injures workers 29 min · quiz
2 Policies, laws and standards for patient handling 23 min · quiz
3 Assessing patient mobility 23 min · quiz
4 Mechanical lifts 24 min · quiz
5 Slings: selection, fit and inspection 24 min · quiz
6 Sit-to-stand and standing aids 22 min · quiz
7 Lateral transfers and repositioning 24 min · quiz
8 Falls and controlled lowering 24 min · quiz
9 Bariatric patients 26 min · quiz
10 Patient handling in home and community care 26 min · quiz
11 Equipment care and availability 24 min · quiz
12 Capstone: building a safe patient handling program 25 min · quiz
E Final exam 20 questions

Requirements

HSE-107 Manual Handling and Ergonomics

Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.