Successful Implementation of Ceiling-Mounted Lift Systems
By Weinel, Diana; Rehabilitation Nursing, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 63-66Publication Date: March/April 2008
Paper describes the active involvement of nursing staff in a hospital spinal cord injury (SCI) unit in the selection of and user training on ceiling-mounted lift systems. A ceiling lift system is described as a lift installed with tracks that are mounted into the overhead beams to support the weight of the patient, and powered by a motor unit which raises and lowers the patient and can be moved along the track, with the patient suspended from the motor unit in a sling. As part of this project, the goal of which was to reduce work-related injury and to enhance the comfort and dignity of patients during transfers, a comparison was made of a floor-based electric lift and a ceiling-mounted lift, which revealed SCI nurses’ preference for the ceiling lift. Nurses were also charged with the task of identifying the one out of five lift models that would best meet the needs of SCI staff and patients. A train-the-trainer approach was used to provide initial and ongoing training of nurses and therapists in operating the lift, with the back injury resource nurses, who were already recognized as peer experts on safe patient handling, identified as the trainers. The successful implementation of ceiling lifts was found to be directly related to staff-member involvement throughout the process. A survey of nurses 18 months after implementation revealed nearly 90 percent of nurses perceiving 50 percent less exertion during patient handling than before ceiling lift installation. Patients also gave the ceiling lift favorable ratings on comfort, security, and safety.
Published by: Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (Website:http://www.rehabnurse.org)
Link to text: http://www.rehabnurse.org/pdf/RNC_283.pdf
