Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2025

An Educational Video Demonstration of How to Prone a Critically Ill Intubated Patient
Published on: November 30, 2022
Call to action to reduce the occupational hazard associated with patient handling for workforce preservation
Laura Cullen1, Marcus Seaton2, Valerie Janni2
1Department of Nursing Services and Patient Care, University of Iowa Health Care, Iowa City, IA.
Background:
Nursing injuries from overexertion decreased in recent years, but 2020 saw an increase. Reducing work-related injuries (WRI) through safe patient handling (SPH) can preserve the nursing workforce. Policies focused on workforce preservation are needed.
Purpose:
We investigate an evidence-based SPH program initiated in 2002, in reducing injuries among nurses compared with national patterns, and offer a blueprint for replication.
Methods:
A three-step iterative, mixed-methods approach compares national data on WRI and lost workdays from overexertion with a case example.
Findings:
The case example outperforms national trends. Data demonstrate benefits from a comprehensive, evidence-based SPH program with steady reductions in Occupational Safety and Health Administration recordable WRI and median workdays lost. Fifty-eight implementation strategies promoted sustainability of SPH practices.
Discussion And Conclusion:
SPH can reduce injuries and lost workdays but requires funding for SPH equipment across settings. Implications for organizations, research and technology development, policy, and workforce preservation are provided.
Related Concept Videos
Standard Precaution
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
Hand hygiene
Hand washing...
Personal Protective Equipment
Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
PPE Use in Healthcare Settings I: Donning

