Patient handling in the veterans health administration: facilitating change in the health care industry.

Abstract

To describe a 15-year process creating an industry standard of practice without regulatory support through organizational leadership. Description of the development and rollout of a safe patient-handling program, including the initial scientific development, a cultural history, and agency data. Patient-handling injuries represent more than 20% of injuries to nurses. These declined by more than 40% throughout the program. In parallel, program scope and implementation evolved through collaboration across facility program managers in one organization, among various organizations, and between users and equipment manufacturers. Program success required a shift from a technology focus to culture change and behaviors. Program evolution arises from collaborative practice and interactions between individual practitioners, organizational needs and interests, and manufacturers. Creation of a public forum was critical to changes in a meanwhile internationally accepted standard.