Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Nursing
Date of Defense
7-18-2019
Graduate Advisor
Roberta Lavin
Committee
Susan Dean-Baar
Anne Fish
Roxanne Vandermause
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the current status of safe patient handling and mobility—specifically resource availability, utilization, and adherence to established safe patient handling and mobility standards—and measure any relationships among these factors. This study builds on the reliability and validity of the adapted American Nurses Association’s (2016) Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Self-Assessment Resource. Responses came from a one-shot survey of healthcare workers in direct patient care across several private and Veterans Health Administration healthcare organizations in the Midwestern United States. The risk of injury is higher in patient handling than in many other professions; therefore, it is essential to address current practices and understanding. A nonexperimental, descriptive, one-shot survey design was used to measure safe patient handling and mobility concepts in real-world patient care settings. Survey items assessed the current availability and use of safe patient handling and mobility resources and healthcare organizations’ adherence to safe patient handling and mobility standards. Ninety-four participants from eight healthcare organizations took part in the survey. The participants included registered nurses (n = 50), licensed practical nurses (n = 2), certified nurse assistants (n = 13), and ancillary staff (n = 10). Median scores for resource availability (82.14), utilization (83.33), and adherence (90.63) were moderately high. There were positive correlations between resource availability and utilization (r = 0.60, p ≤ .001), and availability and adherence (r = 0.61, p ≤ .001), and utilization and adherence (r = 0.54, p ≤ .001). This finding indicates that where there are resources, there is greater utilization and adherence.
Recommended Citation
Waltrip, Kimberly, "A Survey of Healthcare Workers on Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Resource Availability, Utilization, and Adherence" (2019). Dissertations. 910.
https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation/910