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A Smooth Transition

Go ergo! Effective Ergonomic Solutions Awards

Michigan Healthy Community will celebrate National Ergonomics Month this October with its third Annual Ergo Grants and Awards Program.

Smooth TransitionStaff from UH 6B use the new patient glide sheets
to safely and smoothly transfer a patient. The glide
sheets require fewer staff to transfer a patient.In the March/April issue of Inside View, we featured an article on the Ergo Grant Incentive Program, which supports ergonomic efforts at U-M by providing financial help to purchase equipment, conduct training or redesign work processes to solve ergonomic problems and help maintain a safe, healthy, efficient work environment. In this issue, we’re highlighting the Effective Ergonomic Solutions Award, which recognizes units that have independently implemented a successful ergonomic solution.

The most recent recipient of an Effective Ergonomics Solutions Award was UH 6B Nursing for their implementation of patient lift sheets.

“We had been using sheets over clean plastic bags to help facilitate the transfer of patients,” says Diane Schrock, R.N., who commandeered the effort on her unit. “Maxitubes and Ross Ready Slide tubes have made it easier on the patient to glide them during a transfer. Now, fewer people are needed to transfer each patient.”

“6B is representative of many patient care units that have instituted ways to make patient handling safer for the medical staff,” says Suzanne Bade, M.P.H., O.T.R., chairperson of the Michigan Healthy Community Ergonomics Awareness Program. “They went that extra mile to do it on their own.”

Both the Effective Ergonomic Solutions Award and the Ergo Grant Incentive Program will be held this October. If you’ve done something to improve the ergonomic safety of your unit, or if you have an idea but seek funding, be sure to apply!

Learn more at the Ergonomics Awareness Web site.

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