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ALLIANCE ANNUAL REPORT
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE
December 28, 2007 |
I. Alliance Background
Date Signed.
January 8, 2007
Alliance Overview
OSHA, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Center for Ergonomics worked together to achieve
training and education, guidance and sharing of information for health and safety professionals
regarding ergonomics hazards and issues, to provide expertise in communicating this information to
employers and employees in industry, and provide expertise in developing information on the
recognition and prevention of workplace hazards and to provide expertise in developing ways of
communicating such information to employers and employees in industry, work with employers to
identify and resolve ergonomic issues through the delivery of ergonomic services.
Implementation Team Members
Implementation Team Members included: Representatives from the Center for Ergonomics at the
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Occupational Therapy Department faculty and students from the
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, a representative from the UWM Continuing Education Program,
representatives from Wisconsin OSHA Area Offices and Chicago Regional OSHA Office
II. Implementation Team Meetings
August 8, 2006: initial meeting to discuss the cooperation of the Center for Ergonomics in promoting
safe patient handling and movement in the Occupational Therapy course curriculum and student
interest in developing a conference on safe patient handling and movement to the acute care medical
community.
September 28, 2006: discussion with the Occupational Therapy department chair, ergonomics faculty
and doctoral candidates the philosophy of safe patient handling and the research performed by Dr.
Arun Garg at the Center for Ergonomics. Discussed the Alliance program. Phyllis King, George Yoksas,
Dana Root, OT doctoral student
November 2, 2006: discussion regarding developing a conference for safe patient handling for the
acute care community. Arun Garg, Phyllis King, Mary Irzyk, Dana Root, Chris Zortman.
January 19, 2007: discussion regarding vendor workshop, breakout sessions for home health care and
acute care best practices. Phyllis King, Mary Iryzk, Dana Root. A discussion regarding newsletter to
Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association and Physical Therapy Association pertaining to therapists
performing lifting, transferring and repositioning during treatment sessions and training other
healthcare providers in safe patient handling and movement procedures and processes. Amy Darragh,
PhD, OTR, and Dana Root MS, PT, CPE met to head this subcommittee. The subcommittee also included
UWM Physical Therapy Department professor, Wendy Huddleston, PhD, PT, OCS, Steve Sterling, PT, Erin
Hussey MS, DPT from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. The Wisconsin Occupational Therapy
Association, represented by Jean Glanzman OTR, and Mary Hughes, OTR participated as part of the WOTA
Alliance with OSHA.
February, March and April, 2007: conference preparation with speakers, brochure distribution and
vendor practical session
September, 2007: preliminary planning for Second Annual Safe Patient Handling conference for
Physical and Occupational Therapists to be held on May 30, 2008.
October, 2007: discussion with implementation team to develop agenda, speakers and vendors
November, 2007: discussion with speakers for consistency of topics.
III. Activities and Products
Evaluation Period.
This report covers January 8, 2007 through January 8, 2008.
Alliance Activity.
April 20, 2007: First Conference on Implementing a Safe Patient Handling Program, Waukesha,
Wisconsin, 161 attendees
Training and Education:
occupational and physical therapist’s education in safe patient handling and setting up their
training lab for occupational and physical therapy students to learn and practice using the
equipment. Equipment for this education was donated by vendors who participated in the April 2007
conference.
October 2007: The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee faculty presents at the Fall Wisconsin
Occupational Therapy Association conference on Moving and Handling Patients Safely. There were 50
attendees at this session.
December, 2007: Professors Amy Darragh and Phyllis King, invited speakers to the Second Annual
Wisconsin Council of Safety Healthcare Conference, conference cancelled.
Outreach and Communication:
January, 2007: Radio spot on WUWM by Professor Phyllis King and OSHA Milwaukee Area Director George
Yoksas about the UWM OSHA Alliance
January, 2007: Four graduate students and their professors investigating safe patient handling
research and reporting on these issues in their research project class.
January 2007, web based information on the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee website about the safe
patient handling and movement curriculum and ergonomics program.
March, 2007: University of Wisconsin Therapy Consortium which the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
is a partner, developed a survey that was distributed to 675 occupational and physical therapists
throughout the state of Wisconsin following acceptance of funding from a grant proposal. This work
will describe the incidence and prevalence of neuromusculoskeletal injury in physical and
occupational therapists. Report and peer reviewed professional journals article pending.
September 2007: University of Wisconsin Physical Therapy Consortium, which the University of
Wisconsin La Crosse is a partner, participated in an OSHA advisory committee related to improving
therapist awareness of safe lift policies and technology assisted patient handling devices.
Professor, Dr. Erin Hussey, received a grant to acquire safe patient handling technology for
improving the education of students in all health care programs located ant the UWLC Health Science
Center. She developed the curriculum to support this education.
January 2007 through January 2008: Series of four articles on safe patient handling and movement in
therapy in the Wisconsin PT Connections newsletter and Wisconsin OT Newsletter, distribution is
approximately 2000 physical therapists and about 1500 occupational therapists. The national offices
of the American Physical Therapy Association and the American Occupational Therapy Association have
disseminated these articles.
Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health
March, 2007: Researcher and Professor Amy Darragh, presents preliminary data from Wisconsin
occupational and physical therapists’ survey at the 7th Annual Safe Patient Handling and Movement
Conference in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. There were 150 attendees at this session.
IV. Results
A. Discuss the impact of the Alliance activities and products during the reporting period.
This state-wide alliance has provided direct training opportunities through three conferences, one
of which was a national conference where Professor Amy Darragh presented her preliminary research on
the incidence and prevalence of work related injuries in physical and occupational therapists in
Wisconsin. Two other conferences provided hands on practical understanding use of equipment and the
process of the safe patient handling and in acute care facilities for all healthcare providers. All
of these conferences enabled a large audience to actively participate in training.
Working with the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee as part of the University Consortium enables
further sharing of the academic educational opportunities. Through the leadership of the University
of Wisconsin Milwaukee Center for Ergonomics and the Occupational Therapy Department in this
consortium, curriculum development and acquisition of safe patient handling equipment reaches
students learning that education, training and practical application is the key to injury
prevention. This also provides opportunity for students to experience new medical culture
perspectives.
This Alliance has sparked two cutting edge scientific research projects. This promotes exploration
into understanding of the causes of injury which potentially may lead to reducing injury from
lifting, transferring and moving patients in healthcare providers. This is a fantastic learning
opportunity for those involved too.
B. Using the table below, list each activity and the number of individuals reached or trained during
the reporting period.
| Type of Activity (Conference,
Training, Print and
Electronic Distribution, etc.) |
Number of Individuals
Reached or
Trained |
| Student curriculum in SPHM |
75 students per semester, ongoing |
| Conference: Implementing a Safe Patient Handling
Program for Acute Care Facilities |
161 attendees |
| Fall Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association
Conference |
100 attendees to session, 300 per conference |
| Radio spot on WUWM by Professor Phyllis King, NPR
station |
Listening audience |
| University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Graduate student
research project class |
4 students and professors |
| University of Wisconsin Therapy Consortium,
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Survey |
650 therapist throughout the state of Wisconsin |
| University of Wisconsin Therapy Consortium
participated in an advisory committee who collaborated in writing a series of four articles
related to improving therapist awareness of safe lift policies and technology assisted patient
handling devices. |
PT Connections newsletter: 2000 OT Newsletter: 1500 |
| University of Wisconsin Physical Therapy Consortium,
University of Wisconsin La Crosse, equipment training grant |
50 students per semester, ongoing |
| 7th Annual Safe Patient Handling and Movement
Conference in Lake Buena Vista, Florida presentation by Professor Amy Darragh |
150 per session, 2000 per conference |
| TOTAL |
4,720+ |
V. Upcoming Milestones
February 2008: Ceiling Lift equipment for curriculum training to occupational
and physical therapy students is being installed at UWM.
March 2008: three presentations by the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Occupational Therapy
Department on the Wisconsin research findings for Physical and Occupational Therapists injury rates
from patient handling at the 8th Annual Safe Patient Handling and Movement Conference in Florida.
May 30, 2008: Second Annual Safe Patient Handling Conference for Physical and Occupational
Therapists
Report Prepared by: Dana Root, Regional Ergonomic Coordinator
For more information, contact the Office of Outreach Services and Alliances at 202-693-2340 or go to
www.osha.gov.
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