Tips Help Healthcare Workers Stay Healthy in Bariatric Patient Care
Denver—America is getting heavier, and as the population grows and ages, healthcare facilities and their staffs must be able to accommodate heavier patients – and a heavier workforce. Lockton recommends a series of steps to help healthcare workers who serve bariatric patients stay healthy and improve the care they provide.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 74 percent of the adult U.S. population age 20 years and older is either overweight or obese, and that percentage is expected to increase. The new Lockton report, “Ten Safety Steps to Enhance Bariatric Patient Care,” suggests ways for organizations can adjust to accommodate a heavier population. Lockton is the world’s largest privately held insurance broker and a leading safety and risk management advisor to healthcare providers.
Said Lockton’s Lori Severson, co-author of the report, “Training employees how to lift and move heavier patients and how to communicate respectfully with them are vitally important skills.”
The report also recommends incorporating bariatric design guidelines from the Facility Guidelines Institute (GFI) and incorporating state-of-the-art lifts, for example.
Healthcare organizations that adopt these suggestions will differentiate themselves in the healthcare marketplace, distinguishing themselves as the experts on providing dignified care to bariatric patients.
The report is written by Lori Severson, Lockton loss control consultant, and Dr. Ian Chuang, M.D., Lockton medical director. The American Society of Safety Engineers recently honored Severson as its Healthcare Practice Specialty Safety Professional of the Year in 2011.
“Healthcare facilities can define themselves as experts in providing dignified bariatric care, and this can mean greater customer satisfaction, efficiency, profitability, and professional standing,” said Dr. Chuang.
About Lockton
More than 4,100 professionals at Lockton provide more than 15,000 clients around the world with insurance, benefits, and risk management services, offering an uncommon level of client service. From its founding in 1966 in Kansas City, Missouri, Lockton has grown to become the largest privately held insurance broker in the world and 9th largest overall. Independent researcher Greenwich Associates awarded Lockton its 2011 Service Excellence Award for risk management for large companies. For three consecutive years, Business Insurance has recognized Lockton as a “Best Place to Work in Insurance.” www.lockton.com.