Atlanta, GA - Saint Joseph’s Hospital has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) through it’s Wisdom at Work: Retaining Experienced Nurses national initiative. The research project: “Decreasing the number of patient movement-related injuries that are prevalent among nurses” - will be applied to Saint Joseph’s ongoing “Smooth Moves” patient transfer program.
“Smooth Moves has been extremely successful in helping us retain experienced nurses working in patient care by preventing injuries,” says Diana Meeks-Sjostrom, director, Kenneth E. Thomas Center for Nursing Excellence at Saint Joseph’s Hospital. “The reality of nursing is that repetitive motion, such as lifting, causes injuries. With nurses staying at the bedside longer, Smooth Moves truly supports their health and well-being, as well as providing additional patient safety. This grant allows us to expand the program’s components for additional outcomes research and support.”
Saint Joseph’s implemented the Smooth Moves patient minimal lift program hospital-wide in July 2005. The program includes equipment that is used to assist in the transfer of patients, as well as extensive training and education for patient caregivers. During Smooth Moves’ first year, nurse injuries were reduced by 70 percent and lost days – when a nurse could not do his/her job-were reduced by 68 percent. The RWJF grant funding will be used to develop nurse satisfaction data to help educate and refine minimal lift programs in hospitals across the nation.
“A program of this size and scope requires total support from everyone in the institution,” says Kirk Wilson, president and CEO of Saint Joseph’s Health System. “I’m proud that we have been so successful and that our team members are so engaged and committed to patient safety.”
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving health and health care for all Americans.
