Early mobility for patients is a key principle of medical rehabilitation. There are several reasons for that, according to Michelle Claycomb, PT, MSPT, CSPHC, a physical therapist with almost two decades of experience and one of Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals’ safe patient-handling experts.
“Movement is so important,” Claycomb said. “Early mobility helps with the body’s digestion, skincare, you name it. The earlier we can get patients moving, the better the outcomes will be.”
However, Claycomb noted that early mobility can come with risks for patients and health care staff.
“Moving people is risky because maybe they don’t have handles, they aren’t cooperative, or they are resistant,” Claycomb said. “But there are tools in your toolbox that you can use to lessen your risk.”
Here are Claycomb’s recommendations regarding safe patient handling for health care professionals:
Promote a culture of safety:
“Having a culture of safety is so important,” Claycomb said. “You’re going to have patient types that don’t fit in a particular box. So having these resources to call on, to have those conversations with your peers to brainstorm ideas is critical.” To encourage a culture of safety, Madonna also created a safety committee and appointed unit leaders to be safe patient-handling experts. Claycomb noted that technology and employee training play an important role at Madonna.
Use the proper equipment appropriately:
Assistive technology and equipment can be used to mobilize patients safely and progressively. Claycomb notes that Madonna offers several different pieces of equipment, such as full-body lifts or sit-to-stand machines, that other facilities might not have available. “Family members are often surprised that first day we do a patient evaluation,” She said. “Using equipment, we can get the patient up in a wheelchair, and the family is like, ‘Oh, you’re up in a wheelchair.’ It’s a big milestone for them.” However, Claycomb said this equipment must be used properly and in the right scenarios to be effective, which makes ongoing training and education among staff a priority.
Train and educate your staff:
Madonna strongly believes in training its staff to use critical thinking skills before, during and after a patient move. “We can help them decision-make or problem-solve,” Claycomb said of Madonna’s staff. “Can your patient do x, y and z? Then, this is the area where you should start. Because you wouldn’t necessarily want to stand someone who is having trouble sitting up in bed.” Claycomb added that industry recommendations change or new equipment may become available. That’s why employee training helps Madonna meet this ongoing challenge. “We now have walking rounds to help give new staff more education and to meet the nursing staff where they are,” she said.