A workshop held by the simulation lab at the Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health demonstrates best practices for moving and handling patients.
Providers at Mount Sinai’s Emergency Medical Service (EMS) treat, transfer, and move patients—some in extreme situations. They work through small spaces, up and down stairs, and even extricate patients from under subway trains while providing medical care throughout a call. It can be hazardous.
Nationwide, injury rates among EMS responders are increasing as they dedicate themselves to helping patients with urgent medical needs. In 2020, for example, 24 percent of EMS practitioner work-related emergency room visits were for strains and sprains, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. EMS providers have reported injuries related to the physical nature of their jobs, which can leave them with permanent disabilities, forcing them to leave the field.
In response to the increase in injuries throughout the United States, and with concern for the EMS providers, a partnership program between the Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health and Mount Sinai Health Systems Emergency Medical Services was launched to help reduce the incidence of work-related strains and sprains.
“When the EMS department asked us to develop an injury prevention training program, we were clear that this was an integral part of our mission at the Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health,” said Arlette Loeser, MA, Program Director of the Ergonomics and Injury Prevention Program at the Selikoff Centers. “We worked closely with them to provide education and support to our EMS responders. We aimed to fill the void of injury prevention programs, leading to the development of an effective program of interactive training and teaching tools for our responders who are risking injury on a daily basis.”
Ms. Loeser, an ergonomist and educator for more than 25 years, said she was pleased to learn that workers had expressed gratitude for the new program and for Mount Sinai’s commitment to supporting a safe work environment.
Khalid Kazi, Senior Manager of EMS Training and Safety, said EMS sought the advice of the occupational medicine experts at the Selikoff Centers when confronted with a rising numbers of staff injuries. The Selikoff team consisted of experts in ergonomics, nursing, medicine, and a volunteer firefighter emergency medical technician.
“They developed a unique model for an injury prevention workshop with a simulation segment and downloadable safety posters to help our department’s responders develop best practices in understanding how to effectively move patients safely,” he said. “We hope to create an environment where any EMS provider may be able to safely operate while providing the high standard of care expected by Mount Sinai.”
Scroll below to view some of the posters
