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SPH Medical is helping hospitals all across California comply with the new Safe Patient Handling regulations that take effect October 1st, 2014.  Under the new regulations, the appropriate assistive solutions must be accessible and available for staff to use them when necessary.   “By offering hospitals a low cost entry point to stock par levels of the essential slings, repositioning sheets, limb holding straps, and lateral transfer pads we are helping our customers develop a safer environment for their patients and staff and maintain compliance with the new law” said Tony Coleman, President of SPH Medical.   He also added, “Patient lifts and fabric slings are typically capital purchases, but these low cost single patient use items are easy to stock and can be purchased from an operational budget.  By eliminating laundry costs, laundry turnaround time, and slings that get lost in the laundry, we’re able so show increased compliance and greater risk/injury reduction”

For more information about SPH Medical’s broad portfolio of solutions, please visit: www.sphmedical.com

Contact SPH Medical to talk with an injury prevention consultant about your program today.

CAL OSHA has approved the regulations governing AB1136 – The new California Safe Patient Handling Law.   Here is a copy of the draft regulations.  Hospitals now face a deadline of October 1st, 2014 to be in full compliance with these regulations.  Some hospitals have commented that even though they thought they had a program, they are not even close to being fully prepared for compliance.    All patient care areas attached to a General Acute Care Hospital are covered by the new addition to California’s Labor Code: GENERAL INDUSTRY SAFETY ORDERS, Division 1, Chapter 4, Subchapter 7, Article 106, Section 5120.  This includes areas that have often gone unaddressed such as the Emergency Department, OR, Radiology/Imaging areas, and Outpatient Areas.

CAL OSHA Draft Regulations_April 16 2014

SPH Medical provides solutions to Healthcare to address Safe Patient Handling and Early Mobility to reduce injuries and improve patient care outcomes.  Visit www.sphmedical.com for more information.

Hospitals are scrambling to address the pending regulations that will govern the new Safe Patient Handling legislation in California, known as AB 1136. These new regulations are predicted to go into effect as of October 1st, 2014.  Here are just a few of the many key issues have been raised in the proposed modifications that may affect a hospital’s readiness for compliance:

• Each hospital unit should have it’s own plan to address manual patient handling tasks to prevent injuries to patients and staff.
• Hazard assessments need to be performed on each patient care unit.
• A validated patient assessment tool is needed!  A proposed modification to to state that the procedures followed by the designated registered nurse to assess patient mobility needs will be based on the nurse’s professional judgment and involve the use of the listed methods. The subsection has also been modified to clarify that other licensed staff can provide input regarding the patient mobility assessment and instructions.
• At least every 12 months, designated health care workers, designated registered nurses and their supervisors shall also receive refresher training.   Training conducted more than one year prior to the new regulations taking effect may not meet compliance.
• Is there enough equipment?  A modification is proposed to subsection (c)(5)(A) to state that equipment must be available and accessible at all times.

Visit www.sphmedical.com or contact us to learn more about how you can be prepared to be in compliance with AB1136/LC5120.

During a recent study of the Halo DS system at Pennsylvania Hospital , a 496-bed urban teaching hospital in Philadelphia, PA, infection control experts cut the rate of C. diff infections by 66% after deploying the Halo DS system in patient rooms, operating rooms and treatment areas.  SPH Medical provides this “no-touch” advanced room disinfection solution to help hospitals combat the ever increasing risk of Hospital Acquired Infections.  Visit SPH Medical to learn more.