The American Nurses Association (ANA) is asking providers to comment on a draft set of standards for safe patient handling by Nov. 30.
 
The draft document would establish standards for health care employers and workers to ensure both patients and workers are safe from harm during the care process. The standards address safety in the environment of care, whether in a facility or in the home, as well as the safe use of technology and consistent use of patient assessments.
 
For example, the standards would require employers to create a non-punitive culture where health care workers are able to report mistakes or possible hazards that could put themselves or their patient at risk. Similarly, the standards would require health care workers to actively report such hazards.
 
The standards would not be mandatory for health care providers, but could be used to inform future safe patient handling standards adopted by accrediting bodies and regulators, according to the National Association for Home Care & Hospice’s Hospice Notes newsletter.
 
For a list of the standards and instructions on how to comment, go to http://www.nursingworld.org/DocumentVault/NursingPractice/Public-Comment/SPHM-Standards-draft.pdf.