Overview:

Safe patient handling and mobility and caregiver safety has been the focus of the ASPHP since its inception. Understanding the key areas of focus desired by the membership set the tone for operational and strategic objectives. This presentation will draw from three important sources of data. Each data set will be derived directly from the ASPHP membership.

● 2024 ASPHP Survey
● 2023-2024 National Event Demographics
● Results of 2024 Pre-Conference Survey

The ASPHP President Elect, Neal Wiggermann will present and discuss the results of these surveys and provide conference participants an understanding of priorities that drive current ASPHP initiatives. He will solicit feedback from the participants that will be used to further refine ASPHP priorities and policy.

Objectives:

Describe commonalities and best practices across SPHM programs in varying clinical areas.
Identify innovations in technology or practice that can deliver positive outcomes.
Recognize strategies of the successful implementation of SPHM organizations.

Bio:

Neal Wiggermann is a senior specialist research scientist in Baxter R&D. For the past 12 years he has managed a biomechanics lab, performing scientific research and product testing to inform the design of the company's medical devices. Neal has published over 25 peer-reviewed articles and has been granted over 50 patents. He is the vice president of the Association of Safe Patient Handling Professionals and is Senior Editor of Ergonomics in Design. Neal received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan where he specialized in ergonomics and epidemiology of workplace musculoskeletal disorders.

Overview:

Clinically excellent and safe care requires an organization that is highly reliable and dependent on active participation in a culture of high reliability. This presentation will provide content and interactive exercises intended to gain an understanding of safety and reliability initiatives, and principles of human error prevention, that will impact adoption and sustainability of safe patient mobility programs.

Objectives:

1. Convey the principles of high reliability.
2. Convey individual and system failure mechanisms.
3. Understand error prevention tools for staff.
4. Understand highly reliable skills for leadership.
5. Apply concepts of safety, reliability, and human error prevention to patient mobility.

Bio:

Alan Bennett has more than 25 years of safety and reliability leadership experience in healthcare, engineering consulting, automotive manufacturing, and defense contracting. Prior to his work in healthcare, he served as Continental Automotive Corporation's Quality Director for the North and South American Region. Most recently, he served for eight years as the Riverside Health System Director for Patient and Workforce Safety in Newport News, VA. In that capacity, he led the implementation of a safety and performance excellence culture initiative, resulting in a 67% reduction in preventable serious events of patient harm and a 56% reduction in serious workforce injuries, with an associated $1.6M per year cost avoidance in workers' compensation costs. His expertise in human performance, systems engineering, and high reliability practices was instrumental in the successful implementation of high reliability organizing strategies for frontline staff, physicians, and leaders. Bennett is an expert in event investigation and cause analysis, process improvement methods, and workforce safety. A certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, he is a qualified instructor for the GE Change Acceleration Process model and has been trained as an ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 Lead Auditor. He is a certified Project Management Professional and is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety.

Overview:

The concept of 'just culture' has been defined in multiple ways since its introduction to the lexicon in high reliability industries such as healthcare. The ability to distinguish the degree of intent, level of culpability, and reason for a person's behavioral choices has become an important part of event investigation. Further development of this work has formalized the principles of just culture as a foundational component of both a culture of safety and workplace justice. Psychological safety is also essential to ensure that all members of a team - regardless of role or hierarchical status - will speak up if they perceive a problem or have a suggestion for improving care.

The speaker will describe how safety culture is measured and how common survey items can be used to determine perceptions of a fair and just culture. She will engage audience members in applying these concepts to real-world cases related to safe patient handling and mobility.

Objectives:

1. Understand the background and foundations of the just culture models in healthcare.
2. Describe the key concepts of just culture and its application to clinical events.
3. Understand the links between psychological safety, safety culture, and a just culture.

Bio:

Anne Millman is a patient safety professional with more than 15 years of experience working with hospitals and health systems in North America, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. She has particular interest in the measurement and understanding of culture and its contributions to patient safety and staff engagement, the implementation of just culture principles, and the use of event reporting data to identify system defects and drive change. She has extensive experience interpreting quantitative survey data and facilitating groups of individuals to elicit feedback and context regarding their work environments to inform safety initiatives. She is the Patient Safety and Just Culture Advisor for Intermountain Health Peaks Region (formerly SCL Health). Millman was previously a Senior Advisor at the Just Culture Company and Senior Director of Patient Safety and Quality at Safe & Reliable Healthcare, and she has served as the Director of Patient Safety at both tertiary and community hospitals. Millman began her career in patient safety while a Research Associate Faculty member in the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management, when she became a member of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Quality and Safety Research Group (QSRG), headed by Dr. Peter Pronovost. She has first-authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on a broad variety of patient safety topics.

Overview:

This presentation will provide a general overview of the white paper Safe Patient Handling and Mobility (SPHM) Education in Health Care Student Curriculum. The ASPHP SPHM Curriculum Task Force of the Education Committee developed this document after an extensive literature review to discuss the importance of integrating SPHM into all healthcare student curricula. The speakers will review the key findings and recommendations from the paper and guide the audience on how to use the contents from the paper in their current practice or setting.

Objectives:

1. Identify the current state of SPHM within healthcare student curriculum.
2. Identify gaps and barriers to comprehensive and consistent curriculum content adoption.
3. Provide a foundation for development of recommended SPHM curriculum for all healthcare student education programs in the United States.

Bios:

Lynda Enos is a certified occupational health nurse and certified professional ergonomist with over 30 years of work and consulting experience in industrial and healthcare ergonomics. She holds an undergraduate degree in nursing and a graduate degree in human factors/ergonomics from the University of Idaho. She has worked with over 200 companies nationwide to develop and facilitate ergonomics and safety programs. Work experience includes consultation in SPHM and ergonomics for over 40 hospital systems, clinics, assisted living facilities, and home health and hospice services in the United States. She has served as a clinical consultant since 2011. Enos co-authored the Federal OSHA Guidelines for Nursing Homes: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2003), and was a contributor for the 2013 and 2021 editions of the American Nurses Association (ANA) Interdisciplinary Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Standards. She was also an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) representative member of the ISO/TC 173/WG 13 committee that developed ISO standard 10535:2021 Hoists for the transfer of disabled persons — Requirements and test methods. She is a director for ASPHP, a member of the NIOSH NORA Healthcare and Social Assistance Sector Council, and recipient of the 2017 Advocacy Award for Safe Patient Handling awarded by the Tampa VA Research and Education Foundation and ASPHP.

Margaret Arnold is CEO of EarlyMobility.com and of Inspire Outcomes. She has 30 years' experience as a physical therapist and 20 years as an ergonomic evaluation specialist and SPHM/ early mobility (EM) expert, holding certification as a safe patient handling professional. She consults nationally and internationally on safe, early, and continuous mobility, with a philosophy that patient and caregiver safety are interdependent, and SPHM and EM should reflect the culture of care safety and excellence rather than siloed programs. Arnold has published extensively on EM and SPHM. She sits on the board of directors for ASPHP, where she co-chairs the Education Committee and leads a national task force to integrate SPHM into graduate education for physical and occupational therapists, nurses, radiology technicians, and medical doctors. She is passionate about patient outcomes as well as protecting those who care for patients, and she has done a TED talk on this very topic.

Overview:

During this interactive discussion, the panelists will share information about how they have worked to integrate SPHM in healthcare school curricula. They will converse about the importance of developing partnerships between healthcare organizations and school faculty, expanding on the success stories provided in the white paper appendices.

Objectives:

1. Identify how SPHM education should be multimodal, e.g., delivered via lecture, self-guided computer-based learning, and hands-on practice in simulation and in clinical environments.
2. Identify how to integrate SPHM content throughout the curriculum.
3. Identify how to incorporate SPHM interdisciplinary education and coordinate with clinical sites.

Bios:

A physical therapist, Kirsten Berdahl worked for 11 years in multiple settings before embarking on a teaching career that lasted more than 25 years. During her tenure in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at GateWay Community College (GWCC) in Phoenix, AZ, she founded an SPHM program that grew to include over 2000 square feet of lab space with multiple lines of equipment. She has introduced regular SPHM instruction to students in multiple nursing and allied health programs at GWCC, some of which are now integrating SPHM into their regular curriculum. Berdahl serves as the SPHM Lab Manager, sits on the board of directors of ASPHP, and helped to create the Socrates Award for faculty teaching SPHM in a higher education setting.

Lynda Enos is a certified occupational health nurse and certified professional ergonomist with over 30 years of work and consulting experience in industrial and healthcare ergonomics. She holds an undergraduate degree in nursing and a graduate degree in human factors/ergonomics from the University of Idaho. She has worked with over 200 companies nationwide to develop and facilitate ergonomics and safety programs. Work experience includes consultation in SPHM and ergonomics for over 40 hospital systems, clinics, assisted living facilities, and home health and hospice services in the United States. She has served as a clinical consultant since 2011. Enos co-authored the Federal OSHA Guidelines for Nursing Homes: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2003), and was a contributor for the 2013 and 2021 editions of the American Nurses Association (ANA) Interdisciplinary Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Standards. She was also an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) representative member of the ISO/TC 173/WG 13 committee that developed ISO standard 10535:2021 Hoists for the transfer of disabled persons — Requirements and test methods. She is a director for ASPHP, a member of the NIOSH NORA Healthcare and Social Assistance Sector Council, and recipient of the 2017 Advocacy Award for Safe Patient Handling awarded by the Tampa VA Research and Education Foundation and ASPHP.

Yeu-Li Yeung has extensive experience working in healthcare ergonomics and SPHM. She is the Patient Care Ergonomics Coordinator at Duke University and Duke Health. She has implemented and manages the SPHM program at Duke University Hospital and ambulatory clinics and is also responsible for conducting ergonomic evaluations and training in non-SPHM work areas, as well as providing consultations on designs and planning. Yeung has presented numerous times at national SPHM, ergonomics, and safety conferences, and has published in peer-reviewed journals. She provides lectures on SPHM at the Duke University School of Nursing and Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program. She is an occupational therapist, a certified professional ergonomist, and a certified safe patient handling professional.

Margaret Arnold is CEO of EarlyMobility.com and of Inspire Outcomes. She has 30 years' experience as a physical therapist and 20 years as an ergonomic evaluation specialist and SPHM/ early mobility (EM) expert, holding certification as a safe patient handling professional. She consults nationally and internationally on safe, early, and continuous mobility, with a philosophy that patient and caregiver safety are interdependent, and SPHM and EM should reflect the culture of care safety and excellence rather than siloed programs. Arnold has published extensively on EM and SPHM. She sits on the board of directors for ASPHP, where she co-chairs the Education Committee and leads a national task force to integrate SPHM into graduate education for physical and occupational therapists, nurses, radiology technicians, and medical doctors. She is passionate about patient outcomes as well as protecting those who care for patients, and she has done a TED talk on this very topic.

Overview:

This presentation will illustrate and teach key principles in building a simple business case for advancing SPHM in the ICU setting. The basis for the presentation is from a recent publication co-authored by the speaker: “A return-on-investment model using clinical and economic data related to safe patient handling and mobility programs in the ICU.” While the publication is comprehensive and complex, there continues to be a strong need for more simple and reproducible business case development. Discussion will align with three distinct sections - clinical, economic, and outcomes - and will include demonstration of how to build the simple business case. This presentation is intended to assist the SPHM advocate in securing additional funding for advancing SPHM in their respective ICU.

Objectives:

1. Define and understand how to apply key clinical principles and methods to quantify the clinical value of the business case for both patients and staff.
2. Define and understand how to apply key financial principles and methods when building the business case, and be able to build the calculation.
3. Define and illustrate key outcomes targeted to obtain additional funding for the ICU SPHM program.

Bio:

Dan Roberts is an experienced healthcare business director and clinician, having held various positions over the past 30 years with Hill-Rom/Baxter. His critical care and emergency department background provide a valuable foundation for developing impactful improvements in care delivery. He is currently Senior Manager of Global Health Economics Outcomes Research Modeling at Baxter. He received his nursing education and training at Aria HealthCare in Philadelphia, PA, and Penn State University Ogontz Campus, and he received his MBA from Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA.

Overview:

SPHM programs are implemented with growing vigor. However, getting them started and making them stick pose great challenges for many. This session will discuss the Southern Illinois Health case review to explore the challenges, strategies, and real-life applications of healthcare organizations that have resulted in significant reductions in workers' compensation incidents and costs related to moving patients, reducing patient falls, hospital-acquired pressure injuries, and other complications associated with immobility.

Objectives:

1. Describe the challenges West Virginia University Medical Center was facing associated with patient handling.
2. Discuss the approach utilized to create engagement, sustainability, and continuous improvement in mobility programming.
3. Identify the results attained and focus for the future of a successful mobility program.

Bios:

Andy Rich received his Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at Rush University. Upon graduation in 1997, he worked in the more traditional roles as an occupational therapist. In 2004, he entered the world of SPHM. He has served as a member of the board of directors for ASPHP. Rich uses his passion and creativity to help design safe patient handling products and programs that help both patients and caregivers remain safe while receiving or providing care. He speaks at numerous regional and national conferences on topics ranging from making a business case for a safe patient handling program to how to create and sustain success in SPHM in the long term. For 20 years, he has worked as a consultant, clinical manager, and solution manager for Arjo's Diligent/MOVE patient handling and mobility programs. He leads teams using behavioral-based safety, right-just culture, system theory, improvisational comedy, and simple strategies to infuse fun and passion into change initiatives, creating results of which both his mother and clients are uber-proud.

Tariq Alkhatim graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC), earning a bachelor's degree in industrial technology and a master's degree in quality engineering and management. He has 10 years' experience in manufacturing, working both overseas and in the United States. He is currently the Occupational Health and Safety Supervisor for Southern Illinois Healthcare.

Overview:

This presentation describes a research project that aims to prevent the high incidence of musculoskeletal injury in EMS (Emergency Medical Service) providers due to lifting and handling patients. In this project, 16 LiftKits, which consist of seven ergonomic tools, were placed on EMS vehicles to assess their usability, usefulness, and desirability when used in EMS patient handling tasks. This session will review the tools that were included in each LiftKit, their biomechanical efficacy, and the study findings. In addition to EMS responders, these results may also be relevant to the staff at nursing homes and assistive care facilities who provide assistance following patient falls.

Objectives:

1. Learn about a set of relatively simple and low cost patient handling tools that can be used to assist.
2. Review which tools EMS providers found to be most useful, usable, and desirable.
3. Review the types of patient handling situations where the tools were most effective.

Bio:

Dr. Steve Lavender is a Professor at The Ohio State University in the Department of Integrated Systems Engineering and the Department of Orthopaedics. His research primarily focuses on occupational biomechanics and ergonomic intervention development. Much of this work has focused on preventing musculoskeletal injuries experienced by EMS providers, imaging technologists, and distribution center workers. He has also worked on developing guidelines for hospital patient room design that meet the needs of all stakeholders working in these spaces. He has authored or co-authored over 130 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. He currently serves on the College Industry Council for Material Handling Education and editorial boards of Human Factors, Applied Ergonomics, and the Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology.

Overview:

This presentation will walk learners through the process used by an interdisciplinary team at a large integrated healthcare system in the Midwest to develop the Comprehensive Mobility Evaluation Tool (CMET). The tool guides clinical nurses in using a series of established mobility tests to assess mobility status, predict the level of assistance needed, and select SPHM equipment. The presenters will review the methodology and findings of the CMET psychometric validation study, including reliability and validity when compared with established tools. They will also share key lessons learned in implementing nurse-led mobility in a large healthcare system.

Objectives:

1. Describe how the Comprehensive Mobility Evaluation Tool (CMET) was developed.
2. Review methodology and findings from the CMET Psychometric Validation Study.
3. Discuss implementation strategies for CMET and mobility initiatives.

Bios:

Tricia Jaworski, an occupational therapist by background, has worked at Advocate Health for 25 years. Advocate Health is the third largest not-for-profit integrated healthcare system in the United States. As the Midwest System SPHM Program Manager, she oversees programs in Illinois and Wisconsin. She was a member of the interdisciplinary team that developed the Comprehensive Mobility Evaluation Tool (CMET). Jaworski is certified through the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and is also a Certified Safe Patient Handling Professional (CSPHP). She serves on the Alumni Association Board for the School of Health Professions at Concordia University Wisconsin and is currently serving her second term on the ASPHP board of directors. As a member of ASPHP, Jaworski is active on the Education Committee and co-chairs the Marketing Committee. She is a co-chair of the Wisconsin and Illinois SPHM Network, offering SPHM educational opportunities, conferences, networking, and support across both states.

Dr. Mary Hook is a research scientist and Nursing Research Manager employed in the Institute for Nursing Excellence for Advocate Health, the third largest not-for-profit integrated healthcare system in the United States. She has extensive clinical, informatics, evidence-based practice, and research expertise with several studies focused on nurse-led mobility in acute care. She was a member of the interdisciplinary team that developed the Comprehensive Mobility Evaluation Tool (CMET) and served as Principal Investigator for the CMET Validation Study (2022).

Overview:

Do you want to become certified in SPHM? Do you need assistance navigating the process or have questions about examination preparation? Do you want to achieve a different certification level? Help is available from our experts in this session. Certified Safe Patient Handling Professionals (CSPHP) leadership will give an overview presentation and then open the session for questions. Topics will include the levels of certification, requirements, value of SPHM certification, frequently asked questions, options for obtaining Professional Development Hours (PDH), the application process, and certification maintenance.

Objectives:

1. Discuss the benefits of professional SPHM certification.
2. Identify the levels of SPHM certification and the necessary requirements for each.
3. Identify how to obtain Professional Development Hours (PDH).

Bios:

Brad Dugan has over 25 years of clinical experience and expertise as a practitioner of physical therapy in the areas of acute care and acute rehabilitation. He has over 16 years of dedicated SPHM experience with an emphasis to provide early and progressive mobility for his patients through SPHM practices. Dugan works closely with many healthcare organizations and large integrated delivery networks, assisting them to develop, implement, and sustain SPHM initiatives. He lectures nationally on the topic of achieving positive clinical and safety outcomes through SPHM practice. He has served on the ASPHP board of directors and is currently serving on the CSPHP board, including as chair of the Examination Committee.

Kelsey McCoskey has been an ergonomist for 22 years. In addition to performing applied research projects and site assessments, and handling regulatory issues, she is responsible for conducting training courses, and developing and assessing ergonomic programs. Her primary areas of interest include healthcare ergonomics and SPHM, especially the implementation of SPHM programs. She has served on both the ASPHP and CSPHP boards. McCoskey is Lean Six Sigma green belt certified. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware and a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Shenandoah University. She is a Certified Professional Ergonomist and a Certified Safe Patient Handling Professional.

Overview:

The Mobility is Medicine (MIM) program firmly establishes that a systematic and holistic programmatic approach is essential to combat the harms of patient immobility while promoting caregiver safety. MIM is an innovative approach that combines two established evidence-based programs: Activity and Mobility Promotion (AMP), developed by Johns Hopkins Hospital, and a safe patient handling program. Focusing on mobility, interdisciplinary teams including nursing, therapists, and providers can improve patient outcomes, expedite recovery time, and shorten patients' length of stay. Caregivers engaged with mobilizing patients can provide improved patient experiences and can bring the patient to their highest level of mobility. This presentation will encompass our hospital system's journey on the implementation of MIM and how our system has developed and enhanced the process of improvement to best serve our patients and caregivers.

Objectives:

1. Understand the importance of a systemic and holistic approach to address patient immobility and enhance caregiver safety.
2. Identify the core components and principles of Mobility is Medicine (MIM), which combines multiple evidence-based practice programs for mobility promotion and safe patient handling.
3. Explore the impact of interdisciplinary collaboration involving nurses, therapists, providers, and quality improvement data analysts in improving patient outcomes.
4. Recognize the benefits of MIM in reducing patient and caregiver harms, including inpatient falls and caregiver injuries.

Bios:

Kelly Plunkett has over 18 years as a critical care nurse and nurse leader. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Western Governors University, she is committed to evidence-based nursing practice to engage the patient and caregiver experience. She is chair of the St. Charles Mobility and Fall Prevention Committee and is passionate to develop and implement strategies to prevent falls and minimize risks associated with mobility. She is a proud member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and the Northwest Organization of Nursing Leaders.

Theresa Kramer has over 32 years of healthcare experience in clinical physical therapy in a variety of settings, including management, and 22 years as the Injury Prevention Program Coordinator for St. Charles Health System in Bend, OR. She completed her undergraduate studies at Oregon State University and received her Master of Science in Physical Therapy from Columbia University. As the Ergonomic Specialist for the healthcare system, she provides oversight for a variety of musculoskeletal injury (MSI) prevention strategies including office ergonomics, safe patient handling, and industrial ergonomics. Kramer has been Program Champion for St. Charles' safe patient handling program since 2004. She enjoys problem solving with end users to create work environments that minimize the risk of MSIs. Her experience as Safety Committee chair and committee member has given her a broad range of expertise in many topics in healthcare safety. She has had the privilege of speaking at local and state safety conferences (COSHA, GOSH, HCEC) on a variety of topics and has been a member of the Oregon Coalition for Healthcare Ergonomics (OCHE) since 2007.

Lisa Rodriguez is a Certified Occupational Health Nurse with more than 30 years' experience working in healthcare systems. Her roles have included employee health, workers' compensation management, environment of care, and safety program management. She has a demonstrated history of program development, process improvement, and leadership in the health and safety industry. Rodriguez is a consulting professional skilled in various fields of healthcare health and safety program development, including Total Worker Health, SPHM, federal and state regulatory compliance, emergency management, case management, and ergonomics. She is past president of the Oregon State Association of Occupational Health Nurses and currently serves on its board of directors.

Bridget Taddonio is the Senior Quality Improvement Analyst at St. Charles Health System in Bend, OR. Over the last 15 years, she has dedicated her career to advancing healthcare quality improvement. Specializing in guiding organizations through LEAN initiatives, she focuses on enhancing safety and overall quality of care. Taddonio holds credentials as an NAHQ Certified Professional of Healthcare Quality and serves her organization as a TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer.

Overview:

Dr. Paul Bataldan, a leader in healthcare quality, has famously said, “Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.” When organizations' SPHM programs and efforts are struggling, we can look to a regular field of study which many other industries utilize to examine performance and improvement - workflow analysis. The processes underpinning care delivery are often flawed and unplanned, largely relying on coincidences, work-arounds, and empirical (experience) knowledge. In SPHM, we often excel at assessment - defining the need and then knowing what the improved end result should be. However, we are often remiss in identifying the steps in between, assuming we know what staff are doing to complete commonly performed care tasks. Instead of relying upon assumptions, efforts related to workflow analysis would better serve the purpose. The chief goal of workflow analysis is to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, redundancies, and improvement areas. These can lead to increased efficiency, productivity, and the elimination of avoidable negatives. A specific case related to examining workflow processes and redesign of care delivery practices which led to improved efficiency, fiscal benefits, and caregiver and patient improved satisfaction will be presented.

Objectives:

1. Describe the concept of workflow analysis.
2. Recognize when SPHM program decisions influence workforce performance.
3. Identify opportunity in current workforce procedures to improve caregiver efficiency and ease of task completion.

Bio:

Dr. Patricia Mechan is a physical therapist with extensive and diverse experience within various healthcare settings. She earned a Master of Public Health from Boston University and a Doctorate from the University of New England and is a Certified Safe Patient Handling Professional. In her role as the Clinical Director for Guldmann North America, she empowers clinicians and organizations to implement successful safety and mobility programs and modify patient care practices. Dr. Mechan has been a sought-after speaker at both national and international conferences, where her expertise and insights have influenced audiences. Additionally, her written works serve as invaluable resources in the field, contributing to her subject matter knowledge. Her collaborative spirit shines through in her ongoing work with interdisciplinary colleagues, shaping mobility-centric safe handling content and practice guidelines and setting new standards for patient care and safety. Committed to education and improving the experiences of caregivers and patients in the healthcare space, she promotes transformation and progress in hope for a better landscape of healthcare safety and SPHM.

Overview:

Many inpatient mental health environments are not designed for patients with physical disabilities. The milieu is set up to keep patients safe from hurting themselves or others. Some units exclude patients who need help with mobility as well as those who need acute medical treatment at the same time - but patients with mobility disabilities are frequently admitted despite these exclusions to units without SPHM tools. Those patients are admitted to acute care units with a therapeutic companion, but staff on acute care are not as well prepared for the mental health conditions. An interdisciplinary team in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has been working for six years on solutions that can be implemented in inpatient mental health. Attendees will identify SPHM solutions for patients with mobility issues in inpatient and emergency mental health environments.

Objectives:

1. Identify SPHM hazards in the mental health environment.
2. Discuss solutions for SPHM in the mental health environment.
3. Describe solutions for avoiding the prone position in therapeutic containment while allowing movement to quiet space.

Bios:

Marie Martin is the Program Analyst in the VHA SPHM program. She is an industrial hygienist by training, with her PhD in occupational and environmental health sciences from the University of Washington. She led curriculum for an OSHA training center before joining the VA North Texas Health Care System as an industrial hygienist in 2008. Within two months of arrival, she was planning for ceiling lifts, and she has been an SPHM facility coordinator ever since. In 2014, she started helping with the national VA SPHM program, led it from 2015 to 2016, and has assisted with its leadership ever since.

Michelle Franklin is the SPHM Facility Coordinator for the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, the first fully-integrated federal healthcare center between Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. She has held the Facility Coordinator position since 2011. Prior to her work in SPHM, she had 13 years of experience as a registered nurse. She worked in all areas of hospitals, with six years in inpatient mental health and four years at the VA hospital. Franklin received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Concordia University, and her Master of Nursing and Leadership in Healthcare Systems. Franklin is very passionate about SPHM and is committed to promoting safe, early, and progressive mobilization of patients and eliminating manual patient handling.

Overview:

Early mobilization is shown to benefit hospitalized patients of many conditions and care levels, including those in the intensive care unit (ICU), orthopedic postoperative recovery, and general medical unit. Access to early mobility is related to decreased length of stay, improved function, and decreased complications. Applied with SPHM programs, it can improve patient outcomes and the safety of care staff. Early mobilization can consist of in-bed activities like range of motion and strengthening exercises, edge-of-bed activities, out-of-bed transfers, standing, and walking. Research shows intensity of exercise is critical in decreasing ICU-related weakness (Medrinal et al. 2018). Early mobilization of mechanically-ventilated patients was discovered to be safe and well tolerated with better outcomes at discharge along with more vent-free days (Wright et al 2017). Sitting and getting out of bed as early as day zero after abdominal surgery had an impact on recovery, mental, and physical well-being (Svensson-Raskh 2020), while early ambulation is known to significantly prevent postoperative complications (Morris et al 2010). Despite these known benefits, challenges and barriers exist. They fall into four categories: patient, cultural, process, and structural (Dubb et al 2016). This session will discuss examples of typical barriers of each type, along with solutions that follow a progression of safe mobilization, such as healthcare system protocols and accessible bedside equipment. Ideally, equipment used for bedside mobilization should be related to the patient's appropriate mobility progression and meet the following conditions: intuitive for any user; promote functional movement; be safe; and be easily sanitized, moved, and stored.

Objectives:

1. Understand the benefits of early mobilization.
2. Define early mobilization in the care of hospitalized patients.
3. Review barriers and solutions to early mobilization.

Bios:

Gina Adams is the Founder and CEO of the certified woman-owned small business Wareologie. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Environment and Design and an MBA and has over 20 years of experience in product development, including at The North Face, where she volunteered to teach people with disabilities to ski. That rewarding work opened her eyes to the need for adaptive equipment that empowers people of all abilities to carry out activities of daily living (ADL) independently. This launched her journey to help others through innovation. Wareologie develops innovative products through user-experience collaborations and research to enable patients more independence and self-care to improve their quality of life. In 2021, the Veterans Health Administration's Innovation Network (VHA iNet) Greenhouse initiative contracted Wareologie to collaborate with VA subject matter experts to improve patient access to movement safer and earlier in the recovery process. The results are the world's first patent-pending, FDA Class 1 foldable, lightweight, parallel bars on wheels, designed for clinicians to mobilize patients in numerous use cases in the privacy, convenience, and safety of their rooms. Adams is an active board member for the MI United Cerebral Palsy Foundation and Executive Director of Peace, Love, and Planet. She is a public speaker and frequent panelist, sharing her expertise in product development and adaptive equipment.

Mary Lynn Hafner is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with over 25 years of diverse clinical experience who transitioned into healthcare consulting, project, and account management. She has experience leading and developing physical therapy and occupational therapy state board approved continuing education curriculum. She is a certified exercise expert for aging adults, certified health coach, and aging in place specialist, as well as an experienced presenter in early childhood education with a published preschool lesson plan book titled The Joy of Movement (2019). Hafner provides contract services as an expert in residence for Wareologie.

Overview:

Improvement requires genuine measures of success to drive the change we seek. Dashboards are a key instrument to achieve sustained improvement and change. When done well, they speak to both executive and frontline leaders and empower them to promote the change we ask them to support. This presentation will share a variety of dashboards designed to improve patient mobility. Examples of how leaders at all levels interface and utilize dashboards will be shared, along with how those leading mobility work operationalize dashboards to both communicate outcomes and support documentation and operationalization of this work.

Objectives:

1. Understand how dashboards help leaders to drive change, from executives to frontline managers and educators.
2. Identify examples of how to utilize dashboards directly and through a variety of reporting mechanisms.
3. Identify examples of linking dashboards to operational change.

Bio:

Nancy McGann is the Enterprise Leader of Fall Prevention, Patient Mobility, and Safe Patient Handling in the Clinical Excellence Department of Intermountain Health, where she has worked for 17 years. Prior to her current role, she was the System Manager of Caregiver Safety, and of Ergonomics and Safe Patient Handling. She has worked as a therapist and ergonomic consultant in industry and healthcare for the past 34 years. She is on the board of directors of ASPHP and has spoken nationally in this area for the past 13 years. Her passion is protecting both caregivers and patients while facilitating mobility to provide the highest quality of care.

Overview:

This presentation will walk the attendee through the strategy behind creating a culture of mobility from an organizational approach. A review will be included of how mobility initiatives and goals may be different based on discipline, but all have a common goal of preventing low mobility, decreasing length of stay, and discharge to home versus a post-acute setting. Using Nursing Sensitive Indicators (NSI) to guide mobility programs can help track mobility program progress and impact other programs including Magnet designation, falls, and SPHM initiatives with injury reduction for caregivers.

Objectives:

1. Discuss the current organizational approach of low mobility with increased risk for hospital-acquired disability.
2. Identify key strategies to address barriers to mobility.
3. Review the use of data and dashboards to achieve improvement in mobility programs.

Bios:

Tricia Jaworski, an occupational therapist by background, has worked at Advocate Health for 25 years. Advocate Health is the third largest not-for-profit integrated healthcare system in the United States. As the Midwest System SPHM Program Manager, she oversees programs in Illinois and Wisconsin. She was a member of the interdisciplinary team that developed the Comprehensive Mobility Evaluation Tool (CMET). Jaworski is certified through the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and is also a Certified Safe Patient Handling Professional (CSPHP). She serves on the Alumni Association Board for the School of Health Professions at Concordia University Wisconsin and is currently serving her second term on the ASPHP board of directors. As a member of ASPHP, Jaworski is active on the Education Committee and co-chairs the Marketing Committee. She is a co-chair of the Wisconsin and Illinois SPHM Network, offering SPHM educational opportunities, conferences, networking, and support across both states.

Dr. Mary Hook is a research scientist and Nursing Research Manager employed in the Institute for Nursing Excellence for Advocate Health, the third largest not-for-profit integrated healthcare system in the United States. She has extensive clinical, informatics, evidence-based practice, and research expertise with several studies focused on nurse-led mobility in acute care. She was a member of the interdisciplinary team that developed the Comprehensive Mobility Evaluation Tool (CMET) and served as Principal Investigator for the CMET Validation Study (2022).

Overview:

The idea of safe patient handling comes like a dream to facilities, with promises of reducing injuries and costs, increasing early mobility, and improving various metrics like patient and employee satisfaction, length of stay, falls, staff retention and recruitment, hospital-acquired pressure injuries, etc. Once preparation begins, the barriers begin to present themselves. This session will examine the successful initiative of just under three years at West Virginia Medical Center via discussion with the champion of their safe patient handling program. Everything about the program will be reviewed, from implementation to creating an environment of sustainability, along with the barriers faced along the way. Learn about the trials and tribulations of the journey to overcome barriers and significantly reduce injuries to employees, as well as workers' compensation costs.

Objectives:

1. Identify the requirements of creating a safe patient handling program.
2. Recognize the barriers to implementing the practice of safe patient handling.
3. Discuss ways to overcome barriers to safe patient handling in various departments.
4. Describe the outcomes of a successful safe patient handling program.

Bios:

Melvajean Eason has 34 years of clinical experience as an occupational therapist, primarily in the areas of acute care, long term care, home health, industrial rehabilitation, and ergonomics. She currently works as a Clinical Consultant for Arjo, providing clinical consultative services for SPHM and outcomes programs (2007 - present). Areas of expertise include SPHM program implementation with a focus on outcomes, task analysis, industrial and office ergonomics, home assessment, industrial rehabilitation and functional restoration program development, activities of daily living, and adaptive equipment evaluation.

Evelina Neighbors is the Clinical Safety Education Specialist in the Clinical Education and Development Department at West Virginia University Hospitals in Morgantown, WV. She has been a physical therapist assistant for 13 years and worked in the acute care setting for nine years prior to her current role. She currently trains and coordinates the safe patient handling program at WVUH. The safety of the staff and patients are her utmost priority.

Overview:

SPH protocols do not end when a patient passes away. Your safety and the patient's dignity and respect still need to remain top of mind. This session will feature a discussion about medical facilities' use of SPHM protocols in the morgue. It is important to continuously treat the deceased with the same dignity and respect as was given when they were alive, up to and including when the funeral home staff arrive to take the deceased into their care. What can you do to protect yourself and others, including the funeral home staff, from injury after the death of a patient has occurred?

Objectives:

1. Understand why SPHM should continue after the death of a patient.
2. Discuss how to continue SPHM in the morgue.
3. Review the benefits of pre-planning for the death of a bariatric patient.
4. Discuss the importance of building relationships with professionals outside the healthcare facility.

Bio:

Terry Probst earned his EdD from Grand Canyon University. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Phoenix, a Master of Human Relations (MHR) from the University of Oklahoma, and an Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Certificate from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide. He works for the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and is currently the Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN) 15 Administrative Officer. Dr. Probst is a Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer with over 27 years' professional experience. He is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), ASPHP, and American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

Overview:

Early mobilization is a key component for optimizing patient outcomes in the intensive care unit (ICU). The Mobility STEP Protocol provides an outline to safely and effectively develop and implement evidence-based interventions that will safely improve patient mobilization. The Mobility STEP (Safely Transitioning Every Patient) Protocol is an early mobility protocol that incorporates evidence-based data from the ICU liberation bundle frame and the validated Bedside Mobility Assessment Tool 2.0. The Mobility STEP Protocol should be utilized starting the first day of ICU admission to decrease ICU-acquired complications and promote SPHM associated with immobility.

Objectives:

1. Explain how using the Mobility STEP Protocol can safely diminish the effects of immobility.
2. Discuss the importance of how a standardized mobility protocol can improve patient and caregiver safety.
3. Discuss how the Mobility STEP Protocol starts in the ICU and transitions throughout all phases of care.

Bio:

Dr. Allison Fox is a Regional Medical Science Liaison, Patient Support Services at Baxter, Inc. She is nationally certified in nursing leadership and clinical care, and has extensive experience in and knowledge of inpatient and outpatient healthcare operations, patient safety, process and performance improvement, healthcare innovation, and change leadership. Dr. Fox worked as a nurse in high-acuity critical care before transitioning into leadership. She has served the nursing community in progressive leadership roles from a house supervisor up to a chief nursing officer. In these roles, she has developed and led safe patient handling initiatives that reduced length of stay and overall stay cost for critical care patients. Additionally, she facilitated the deployment and adoption of patient fall and pressure injury reduction initiatives associated with immobility. In her previous and current roles at Hillrom/Baxter, Dr. Fox continues to help bring the best med/tech healthcare options to care providers all over the United States. She remains incredibly proud of her contribution to today's healthcare and positive patient outcomes.

Overview:

This presentation will review how to navigate when SPHM programs expand their scope and healthcare organizations merge. Learn how to maintain your SPHM programming on those early adopting units and legacy sites while the organizations align and ultimately strengthen the programs across the hospital or enterprise.

Objectives:

1. Identify strategies to maintain SPHM programming at current location(s) while expansion or a merger takes place.
2. Identify goals to align programming across multiple sites with harmonization and growth by spreading best practices and identifying gaps for future improvements.
3. Identify the leadership skills needed to guide SPHM programming toward future improvement across multiple departments that may be impacted by program expansion or a merger.

Bios:

Tricia Jaworski, an occupational therapist by background, has worked at Advocate Health for 25 years. Advocate Health is the third largest not-for-profit integrated healthcare system in the United States. As the Midwest System SPHM Program Manager, she oversees programs in Illinois and Wisconsin. She was a member of the interdisciplinary team that developed the Comprehensive Mobility Evaluation Tool (CMET). Jaworski is certified through the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and is also a Certified Safe Patient Handling Professional (CSPHP). She serves on the Alumni Association Board for the School of Health Professions at Concordia University Wisconsin and is currently serving her second term on the ASPHP board of directors. As a member of ASPHP, Jaworski is active on the Education Committee and co-chairs the Marketing Committee. She is a co-chair of the Wisconsin and Illinois SPHM Network, offering SPHM educational opportunities, conferences, networking, and support across both states.

Nancy McGann is the Enterprise Leader of Fall Prevention, Patient Mobility, and Safe Patient Handling in the Clinical Excellence Department of Intermountain Health, where she has worked for 17 years. Prior to her current role, she was the System Manager of Caregiver Safety, and of Ergonomics and Safe Patient Handling. She has worked as a therapist and ergonomic consultant in industry and healthcare for the past 34 years. She is on the board of directors of ASPHP and has spoken nationally in this area for the past 13 years. Her passion is protecting both caregivers and patients while facilitating mobility to provide the highest quality of care.

Overview:

SPHM programs are implemented with growing vigor. However, getting them started and making them stick pose great challenges for many. This session will discuss the Southern Illinois Health case review to explore the challenges, strategies, and real-life applications of healthcare organizations that have resulted in significant reductions in workers' compensation incidents and costs related to moving patients, reducing patient falls, hospital-acquired pressure injuries, and other complications associated with immobility.

Objectives:

1. Describe the challenges West Virginia University Medical Center was facing associated with patient handling.
2. Discuss the approach utilized to create engagement, sustainability, and continuous improvement in mobility programming.
3. Identify the results attained and focus for the future of a successful mobility program.

Bios:

Cameron Harms graduated from the US Army-Baylor University DPT program in 2017, where he then served as an Army Medical Officer working in various clinical and healthcare leadership roles, including teaching injury prevention classes for the Army's new Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) program. He transitioned out of the military in 2021 and began working as an SPHM Clinical Consultant for Arjo, providing clinical consultative support to healthcare facilities with the goal of reducing caregiver injuries and improving patient outcomes.

Tariq Alkhatim graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC), earning a bachelor's degree in industrial technology and a master's degree in quality engineering and management. He has 10 years' experience in manufacturing, working both overseas and in the United States. He is currently the Occupational Health and Safety Supervisor for Southern Illinois Healthcare.

Overview:

An incidence of direct care providers catching or assisting a falling patient in the healthcare setting is often considered a successful intervention. This act does not cause alarm that a valuable employee has willingly put themselves at risk for injury in an unsafe situation within many organizations. These occurrences can lead to two injuries (provider and patient) when only one injury may have occurred. The importance of provider protection from harm and caregiver self-preservation as it relates to the patient care setting should be at the forefront of healthcare organization occupational safety initiatives, with a goal of preserving the workforce. This quality improvement project investigated possible reasons why direct care providers attempt to catch or assist a falling patient within the patient care setting. The direct care providers employed at the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Health Care System was the focus group used to evaluate the impact that safe patient handling technology has on provider and patient safety.

Objectives:

1. Discuss the purpose and background of a quality improvement project at Birmingham Veterans Affairs Health Care System.
2. Define instinct theory, instinctive reflex, empathy, and learned behaviors as they relate to the patient care setting.
3. Discuss the importance of provider protection from harm and caregiver self-preservation.
4. Identify safe patient handling technology's impact on provider protection.

Bio:

Dr. Dejau M. Jones earned her Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She has 12 years of nursing experience, mostly in the critically ill patient population. Dr. Jones maintains a board certification as a Clinical Nurse Leader and is an active member of the UAB National Alumni Society, Clinical Nurse Leadership Association, and ASPHP. She published the case study “Tailored Purposeful Rounding Implementation on a Hospitalist Unit” in the textbook Management and Leadership for Nurse Administrators, 8th Ed, in 2020. She and Dr. Eagerton, Associate Professor at UAB School of Nursing, coauthored the article “Reducing Preventable Injuries Through the Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Program Bundle” in the International Journal of Safe Patient & Mobility December 2020 issue. She has been the Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Facility Coordinator at the Birmingham VA Health Care System since 2019. Dr. Jones is passionate about utilizing evidence-based practice to ensure that care delivery is safe and targeted toward optimal quality and patient outcomes.

Overview:

This presentation will introduce participants to the process for moving research or quality improvement projects from completion to presentation. Learn tips for writing an abstract, how to avoid design fails, where to find templates, and how to create a visually appealing presentation.

Objectives:

• Discuss the 4 Cs of abstract writing - complete, concise, clear, cohesive.
• Learn the principles of effective scientific communication through visual posters.
• Review key elements to design both visually appealing and informative posters.

Bio:

Michelle DaGloria is a registered nurse with decades of experience in a variety of clinical settings including community, acute care, and industry. She is the Senior Medical Science Liaison for Hospital Systems and Technologies at Baxter Healthcare Canada. Before joining Baxter in January 2014, she held various clinical and progressive leadership positions at a large community hospital in southwestern Ontario. Passionate about education, advancing patient safety, and improving quality outcomes for the entire health system, she believes in the importance of empowering clinicians to share organizational improvements with peers.

Overview:

The Mobility is Medicine (MIM) program firmly establishes that a systematic and holistic programmatic approach is essential to combat the harms of patient immobility while promoting caregiver safety. MIM is an innovative approach that combines two established evidence-based programs: Activity and Mobility Promotion (AMP), developed by Johns Hopkins Hospital, and a safe patient handling program. Focusing on mobility, interdisciplinary teams including nursing, therapists, and providers can improve patient outcomes, expedite recovery time, and shorten patients' length of stay. Caregivers engaged with mobilizing patients can provide improved patient experiences and can bring the patient to their highest level of mobility. This presentation will encompass our hospital system's journey on the implementation of MIM and how our system has developed and enhanced the process of improvement to best serve our patients and caregivers.

Objectives:

1. Understand the importance of a systemic and holistic approach to address patient immobility and enhance caregiver safety.
2. Identify the core components and principles of Mobility is Medicine (MIM), which combines multiple evidence-based practice programs for mobility promotion and safe patient handling.
3. Explore the impact of interdisciplinary collaboration involving nurses, therapists, providers, and quality improvement data analysts in improving patient outcomes.
4. Recognize the benefits of MIM in reducing patient and caregiver harms, including inpatient falls and caregiver injuries.

Bios:

Kelly Plunkett has over 18 years as a critical care nurse and nurse leader. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Western Governors University, she is committed to evidence-based nursing practice to engage the patient and caregiver experience. She is chair of the St. Charles Mobility and Fall Prevention Committee and is passionate to develop and implement strategies to prevent falls and minimize risks associated with mobility. She is a proud member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and the Northwest Organization of Nursing Leaders.

Theresa Kramer has over 32 years of healthcare experience in clinical physical therapy in a variety of settings, including management, and 22 years as the Injury Prevention Program Coordinator for St. Charles Health System in Bend, OR. She completed her undergraduate studies at Oregon State University and received her Master of Science in Physical Therapy from Columbia University. As the Ergonomic Specialist for the healthcare system, she provides oversight for a variety of musculoskeletal injury (MSI) prevention strategies including office ergonomics, safe patient handling, and industrial ergonomics. Kramer has been Program Champion for St. Charles' safe patient handling program since 2004. She enjoys problem solving with end users to create work environments that minimize the risk of MSIs. Her experience as Safety Committee chair and committee member has given her a broad range of expertise in many topics in healthcare safety. She has had the privilege of speaking at local and state safety conferences (COSHA, GOSH, HCEC) on a variety of topics and has been a member of the Oregon Coalition for Healthcare Ergonomics (OCHE) since 2007.

Lisa Rodriguez is a Certified Occupational Health Nurse with more than 30 years' experience working in healthcare systems. Her roles have included employee health, workers' compensation management, environment of care, and safety program management. She has a demonstrated history of program development, process improvement, and leadership in the health and safety industry. Rodriguez is a consulting professional skilled in various fields of healthcare health and safety program development, including Total Worker Health, SPHM, federal and state regulatory compliance, emergency management, case management, and ergonomics. She is past president of the Oregon State Association of Occupational Health Nurses and currently serves on its board of directors.

Bridget Taddonio is the Senior Quality Improvement Analyst at St. Charles Health System in Bend, OR. Over the last 15 years, she has dedicated her career to advancing healthcare quality improvement. Specializing in guiding organizations through LEAN initiatives, she focuses on enhancing safety and overall quality of care. Taddonio holds credentials as an NAHQ Certified Professional of Healthcare Quality and serves her organization as a TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer.

Overview:

Compared to floor-based lifts, ceiling lifts reduce the time required to transfer patients (Alamgir, 2009), reduce forces required to maneuver patients (Marras, 2009), and increase the likelihood that caregivers will use SPHM technology (Lee & Rempel, 2020; Wiggermann & Francis, 2023). However, ceiling lifts remain uncommon in many acute care environments in part because of logistical challenges with installation and lack of input from SPHM advocates during the construction process. This presentation briefly describes the components and process for installing ceiling lifts in both new and existing construction. The presenter will provide stories and images of some of the most challenging and creative installations and will explain the anatomy of a ceiling lift system and how design decisions affect cost. The planning process and typical stakeholders in the construction process will be explained, with strategies for how SPHM practitioners can be involved earlier and communicate clinical needs to non-clinical staff. Finally, the presenter will detail common architectural challenges and pitfalls that occur in the planning and installation stages, and how these challenges are overcome.

Objectives:

1. Explain the components of a ceiling lift system and attributes of the installation that influence cost.
2. Demonstrate the breadth of possibilities for installing ceiling lifts in challenging environments.
3. Provide guidance on the best time and means to advocate for ceiling lifts during design and construction.

Bio:

James Ekstrom has 38 years of healthcare experience with Hillrom/Baxter. He moved into the safe patient handling role as a Mobility Specialist in 2009 and helped to successfully implement several house-wide safe lifting policies with creative solutions for a variety of areas within healthcare facilities. He has assisted with risk assessments and aided in monitoring compliance with staff training. Ekstrom is also the certified trainer for contractors, technicians, and facilities for installation, technical repair, and maintenance.

Overview:

Do you want to become certified in SPHM? Do you need assistance navigating the process or have questions about examination preparation? Do you want to achieve a different certification level? Help is available from our experts in this session. Certified Safe Patient Handling Professionals (CSPHP) leadership will give an overview presentation and then open the session for questions. Topics will include the levels of certification, requirements, value of SPHM certification, frequently asked questions, options for obtaining Professional Development Hours (PDH), the application process, and certification maintenance.

Objectives:

1. Discuss the benefits of professional SPHM certification.
2. Identify the levels of SPHM certification and the necessary requirements for each.
3. Identify how to obtain Professional Development Hours (PDH).

Bios:

Brad Dugan has over 25 years of clinical experience and expertise as a practitioner of physical therapy in the areas of acute care and acute rehabilitation. He has over 16 years of dedicated SPHM experience with an emphasis to provide early and progressive mobility for his patients through SPHM practices. Dugan works closely with many healthcare organizations and large integrated delivery networks, assisting them to develop, implement, and sustain SPHM initiatives. He lectures nationally on the topic of achieving positive clinical and safety outcomes through SPHM practice. He has served on the ASPHP board of directors and is currently serving on the CSPHP board, including as chair of the Examination Committee.

Kelsey McCoskey has been an ergonomist for 22 years. In addition to performing applied research projects and site assessments, and handling regulatory issues, she is responsible for conducting training courses, and developing and assessing ergonomic programs. Her primary areas of interest include healthcare ergonomics and SPHM, especially the implementation of SPHM programs. She has served on both the ASPHP and CSPHP boards. McCoskey is Lean Six Sigma green belt certified. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware and a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Shenandoah University. She is a Certified Professional Ergonomist and a Certified Safe Patient Handling Professional.

Overview:

This hands-on session provides a mechanism for participants to use principles of simulation learning to match the patient (resident)/organizational need with human resources and SPHM technology (equipment, devices, training). This structured case-based simulation encourages critical thinking principles to maximize available resources to improve patient safety and prevent worker injury. Participants will engage in an open discussion to find the best solution(s), incorporating both clinical and technical reasons, and then review the technical features of the chosen best solution(s). The activity will conclude with a question-and-answer session.

Objectives:

1. Identify SPHM challenges based on case scenarios from a diverse case mix.
2. Explore and apply equitable and inclusive evidence-based SPHM practical options to address case scenarios.
3. Recognize the elements of critical thinking and decision-making in SPHM case scenarios.

Overview:

This panel presentation will discuss how to design SPHM in general, and overhead lifts in particular, into new healthcare space to prevent safety problems and reduce operational cost. All panel members have incorporated SPHM into construction processes in facilities, but from multiple perspectives: managing SPHM in multiple facilities; designing facilities; and designing lift installation methods. Best practices, tactics to overcome challenges, and ways of demonstrating the value of including SPHM in design will be presented. Panelists will present their experiences, results, and recommendations and will take questions that have been collected from the audience in advance.

Objectives:

1. Describe methods to incorporate SPHM into healthcare design projects.
2. Describe methods to defend the value of overhead lift systems that cover all relevant parts of a room in an area where lifting/mobilization tasks happen repeatedly.
3. Describe ways of overcoming situations where conflicting designs make ceiling lift installation difficult.

Bios:

Marie Martin is the Program Analyst in the VHA SPHM program. She is an industrial hygienist by training, with her PhD in occupational and environmental health sciences from the University of Washington. She led curriculum for an OSHA training center before joining the VA North Texas Health Care System as an industrial hygienist in 2008. Within two months of arrival, she was planning for ceiling lifts, and she has been an SPHM facility coordinator ever since. In 2014, she started helping with the national VA SPHM program, led it from 2015 to 2016, and has assisted with its leadership ever since.

Nancy McGann is the Enterprise Leader of Fall Prevention, Patient Mobility, and Safe Patient Handling in the Clinical Excellence Department of Intermountain Health, where she has worked for 17 years. Prior to her current role, she was the System Manager of Caregiver Safety and of Ergonomics and Safe Patient Handling. She has worked as a therapist and ergonomic consultant in industry and healthcare for the past 34 years. She is on the board of directors of ASPHP and has spoken nationally and published in this area for the past 13 years. Her passion is protecting both caregivers and patients while facilitating mobility to provide the highest quality of care.

Michael Degnan is the VA Senior Architect and Healthcare Engineer supporting construction engineering and VA design for the Jennifer Moreno VA Medical Center. He was employed as an Architectural Project Manager for 25 years; 10 of those years were devoted to hospital design and management prior to coming to the VA eight years ago. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture from California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo. Currently, he is leading four surgical endovascular design projects, all incorporating new patient lifts, and outfitting the hospital with an additional 145 new patient lifts in every patient care department as part of a new design project.

Brian Trewella has been involved with safe patient mobilization since 2001. His experiences include implementing safe patient handling programs with a variety of technologies including both floor and ceiling lifts, lateral transfer products, specialized bariatric equipment, and ambulation aids. He has also been involved in the development of several unique safe patient handling products and in the technical improvement of many others. He is a certified level II trainer for Molift products, responsible for training technicians across the country on installation, service, maintenance, and ISO 10535 compliance.

LeAnn Schlamb, Clinical Planner, VA Office of Construction and Facilities Management, earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati in 1990, a Master of Science in Nursing in forensic nursing from Xavier University in 2003, and an Education Specialist for adult education from Walden University in 2012. She joined the Cincinnati VA Medical Center in 2008 as a nurse educator, where she developed and coordinated the simulation and SPHM programs. In 2016, Schlamb joined VA SimLEARN. She has a broad range of experience developing and delivering education and has implemented simulation programs with interprofessional groups utilizing multiple simulation modalities within healthcare organizations. At SimLEARN she led a team focused on system assessment using process simulation in pre- and post-construction to identify latent safety threats and quality improvement. Her current position, since 2022, involves collaborating to provide clinical solutions and concepts for highly specialized healthcare space that facilitates the best care and treatment of veterans.

An Army veteran turned healthcare professional, Larry Trinidad started his nursing journey with two years in med-surg oncology, later transitioning to surgery in 2013. Since 2015, his focus on safe patient handling has been unwavering, with a particular emphasis on expanding these practices in the operating room (OR). Trinidad currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Surgical Services at the Veterans Administration Health Care System in Long Beach, CA, where he brings clinical experience from the OR and a dedication to ensuring safe patient handling practices are established and continuously improved. His commitment extends beyond the local setting through active contribution to national committees, and in identifying and addressing gaps in safe patient handling in the surgical setting. Beyond the professional realm, Trinidad cherishes quality time with family during off hours. His journey reflects a passion for patient care, innovation, and making a lasting impact on healthcare practices.

Overview:

Healthcare professionals spend a lot of their working day focused on caring for others - their patients, their patients' families, and their colleagues. There is not a lot of time left to focus on their own safety and well-being. This is important, as they are not able to give their 100% if 'their own cup is empty'. This pres

Objectives:

1. Discuss the value of well-being for SPHM professionals.
2. Compare the state of nurse health before and during the pandemic.
3. Examine the actions, free programs, and resources that professionals can access to enhance well-being.

Bio:

Dr. Ruth Francis has over 30 years of international, corporate, association, government, and community health education and promotion experience and works for the American Nurses Association (ANA), where she is a Senior Policy Advisor in the Nursing Practice & Work Environment Department. She is the co-staff lead for Racism in Nursing and manages ANA's COVID education and occupational health initiatives - SPHM, Workplace Violence/#End Nurse Abuse Initiative, Precision Health, AI in Nursing, Opioids Prevention, and Gun Violence Prevention, representing ANA at national and federal stakeholder meetings. She also represents ANA on CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice Workgroup related to COVID-19 vaccine education. Dr. Francis has authored or co-authored over 100 articles, positions, briefs, and papers and has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on occupational health, immunizations, safety, and health and wellness promotion. She led the team in re-writing the ANA Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Interprofessional National Standards in 2021 and is currently halfway through her three-year term on the NIOSH Board of Scientific Counselors, providing guidance to the NIOSH Executive Staff. A past ASPHP board member (2019-2021), she currently participates on the Governance Committee and chairs the Policy Workgroup. Dr. Francis completed her Doctorate in Public Health, received her master's degree from Loma Linda University, CA, and is certified as a Master Health Education Specialist.

Overview:

The textbook definition of resilience is bouncing back, or returning to form. While this seems straightforward for inanimate objects, it is much more complicated when it comes to humans. Our frontline staff are experiencing burnout at an alarming rate. Building resilience is a learned skill, and there are obligations from an organizational as well as individual level. In this session, we will cover the key aspects and science of resilience, strategics and tactics for developing a program to address resilience, and the specific linkage between workforce safety, care for the caregiver programs, and emotional support for staff in need.

Objectives:

1. Understand the science and physiology of burnout and resilience.
2. Understand the tools and techniques for addressing the concept of burnout and emotional trauma.
3. Understand the importance of developing a program that fosters resilience in frontline staff.

Bio:

Alan Bennett has more than 25 years of safety and reliability leadership experience in healthcare, engineering consulting, automotive manufacturing, and defense contracting. Prior to his work in healthcare, he served as Continental Automotive Corporation's Quality Director for the North and South American Region. Most recently, he served for eight years as the Riverside Health System Director for Patient and Workforce Safety in Newport News, VA. In that capacity, he led the implementation of a safety and performance excellence culture initiative, resulting in a 67% reduction in preventable serious events of patient harm and a 56% reduction in serious workforce injuries, with an associated $1.6M per year cost avoidance in workers' compensation costs. His expertise in human performance, systems engineering, and high reliability practices was instrumental in the successful implementation of high reliability organizing strategies for frontline staff, physicians, and leaders. Bennett is an expert in event investigation and cause analysis, process improvement methods, and workforce safety. A certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, he is a qualified instructor for the GE Change Acceleration Process model and has been trained as an ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 Lead Auditor. He is a certified Project Management Professional and is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety.

Overview:

This presentation will introduce Jean Watson's Caring Science and Human Caring Theory and how it relates to caregiver burnout, psychological safety, resiliency, and a healthy workforce. Participants will engage in a self-reflection exercise and review the core tenets of the Human Caring Theory. Practical examples of how to apply this theory to the healthcare environment will be explored, including Zen Dens, Code Caring, and an Annual Caring Symposium.

Objectives:

1. Review the 10 caritas processes of the Human Caring Theory.
2. Discuss the role of transpersonal moments to enhance the caregiver experience. 3. Discuss practical strategies to implement Human Caring Theory.
4. Complete at least one interactive self-reflection exercise to gain insight into burnout and compassion fatigue.
5. Review how SPHM and caregiver burnout are connected.

Bio:

Nicole Hopewell is an SPHM Clinical Consultant with Baxter. She is a licensed physical therapist, certified safe patient handling professional and Caritas Coach. In a career that spans over three decades, she has experience in healthcare leadership, education, and direct patient care in a variety of clinical settings, including acute care, outpatient rehabilitation, and women's health. She has spoken nationally on topics related to healthcare safety and safe mobility. In addition, Hopewell has established a reputation for collaboration and partnership to drive change and improve patient and caregiver safety. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from New York University and her Master of Science in Health Services Administration from Regis University. She resides in Boulder County, CO.

Overview:

There has been tremendous progress with the adoption of safe patient handling and mobility practices. Evidence of this was clearly stated in the innovative and often thought-provoking presentations and hands experiences over the past three days. However, the journey is far from complete. In the final session for this year’s conference, we’ll hear from a panel of key influencers in areas of research, academics, healthcare delivery, public policy and addressing the needs of at-risk populations. Together our panelists will share their wisdom and anticipatory guidance on what the future may hold for advancing safe patient handling and mobility and how we can move from present to future state.

Objectives:

1. Identify emerging trends that will influence the adoption of SPHM.
2. Describe key areas of focus with public policy and advocacy influence SPHM and mobility programs in the future.
3. Understand how to participate in professional organizations such as ASPHP to accelerate change.

Bio:

A close-up of a person smiling Description automatically generatedBob is a Medical Science Liaison, Safe Patient Handling and Mobility at Baxter, Inc. He has extensive experience and knowledge of occupational health, patient safety, enterprise risk management, high reliability and performance improvement. He has served in progressive leadership roles with Ascension Health and HCA Healthcare. In these roles, he has developed and led system-based initiatives that reduced caregiver injuries associated with manually lifting and moving of patients. Additionally, he has facilitated the deployment and adoption of patient fall and pressure injury reduction initiatives associated with immobility. Bob is a founding Board member and the past President of the Association of Safe Patient Handling Professionals (ASPHP). He was the recipient of the Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Advocacy Award in 2017.

Overview:

Looking for help to initiate or re-direct your SPHM program? We understand! It Takes a Village! Whether you are new to SPHM or looking to enhance your program, the ASPHP It Takes a Village (ITAV) program is designed for you. This 1½-day interactive workshop covers the elements of effective SPHM programming and how to successfully integrate your program into your organization. It will enable you to learn evidence-based methods and practices to implement right away. This course is taught by national SPHM leaders using discussion and case scenarios for very practical solutions and programming.

Our certified SPHM professionals serve as the faculty for this class and will work with you to develop an action plan for your facility to drive your program forward. This dynamic workshop gives you the opportunity to network with these professionals and other individuals leading SPHM efforts in their organizations. More than 70% of former attendees strongly agreed the content was relevant to their position, and all of the instructors were knowledgeable, professional, and helpful.

Gain insights! Exchange best practice information! Get professional advice! Attend the ITAV SPHM course.

The ITAV workshop offers 12 contact hours.

Overview:

This workshop aims to acquaint participants with the integration of SPHM into the construction of healthcare facilities, whether during renovation or new construction. Exploring the nuances of construction phases, leased versus owned spaces, and design-build versus design-bid-build contracts will be central to our discussions. We will introduce the critical concept of safety risk assessment and leverage sample projects to demonstrate the seamless incorporation of equipment throughout various design and building stages. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with vendors, gather resources, and, if possible, evaluate a sample room design using live equipment in a mockup setting.

Join us to gain valuable insights and practical knowledge for successful SPHM integration into healthcare facility construction projects.

1. Identify phases of planning, design, construction, and activation where SPHM input can affect the final result.
2. Recognize resources that can help SPHM professionals to incorporate SPHM into patient care construction projects.
3. Decide and communicate how SPHM should be incorporated into example projects.

Marie Martin is the Program Analyst in the VHA SPHM program. She is an industrial hygienist by training, with her PhD in occupational and environmental health sciences from the University of Washington. She led curriculum for an OSHA training center before joining the VA North Texas Health Care System as an industrial hygienist in 2008. Within two months of arrival, she was planning for ceiling lifts, and she has been an SPHM facility coordinator ever since. In 2014, she started helping with the national VA SPHM program, led it from 2015 to 2016, and has assisted with its leadership ever since.