Patient lifts and transfer equipment: a review of clinical and cost-effectiveness and guidelines
Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health
Record ID 32011001162
English
Authors' recommendations:
Evidence from non-randomized studies supports the clinical and cost-effectiveness of mechanical patient-handling devices (e.g., ceiling lifts) and the adoption of minimal lift policies for reducing musculoskeletal injuries in health care workers. The mechanical-lifting interventions were consistently positive with regard to reducing injuries sustained during patient-lifting activities; however, the impact of these devices on the prevention of injuries occurring as a result of repositioning patients was not statistically significant. Non-randomized studies also demonstrated that health care workers perceived mechanical lateral-transfer devices to be superior to manual-transfer techniques; however, these studies lacked an assessment of clinical endpoints and cost-effectiveness. Overall, studies from Canada, the United States, and Australia have shown patient-handling interventions to be an effective option for reducing the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries in health care workers. Furthermore, cost-benefit analyses have also been favourable and shown that initial investments in patient-handling interventions can be recovered relatively quickly in savings resulting from reduced injury claims. The identified guidelines recommend the use of lifting devices. Higher quality studies with well-defined methodology, particularly with regards to the policy changes that often accompany the acquisition of mechanical-lifting devices, are required to obtain more robust estimates of clinical and cost-effectiveness.
Details
Project Status:
Completed
URL for project:
http://www.cadth.ca/media/pdf/L0192_patient_lifts_htis-2.pdf
Year Published:
2010
English language abstract:
An English language summary is available
Publication Type:
Not Assigned
Country:
Canada
MeSH Terms
- Lifting
- Moving and Lifting Patients
Contact
Organisation Name:
Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health
Contact Address:
600-865 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1S 5S8 Canada. Tel: +1 613 226 2553; Fax: +1 613 226 5392;
Contact Name:
requests@cadth.ca
Contact Email:
requests@cadth.ca
Copyright:
Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)
This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA or other HTA producer. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.