March 2025

Preventing Adverse Events in Senior Care: Mechanical Lift Project

On March 19, 2025 by Julie Apold

Background

The Mechanical Lift Project is designed to address the on-going issue of adverse events related to mechanical lift use which can have a significant impact to both residents and staff. The project goes beyond the typical action plan of staff training by combining the science of human factors and ergonomics to conduct an analysis of the equipment and process design issues at the root of these events.

The goal of the project is to develop recommendations that support the effective use of mechanical lifts and reduce instances of mechanical lift falls. 

Project Phases

Phase 1: Research/Information Gathering:

The first step in the research project was to conduct observations and interviews at multiple nursing homes. Interviews were conducted with staff roles across the organization including nursing assistants, therapy staff, maintenance staff, nurse managers, quality leads, and staff development leads. Interviews were also conducted with nursing home residents currently using mechanical lifts for transfers and their family members. 

Phase 2: Develop Recommendations:

Findings from the first phase of the project were presented to the Mechanical Lift Advisory Group. The Advisory Group identified four levels of recommendations to address key issues and opportunities. Level one recommendations include tactics that are easier to complete, such as a key practices implementation roadmap and supporting resources.

Level two recommendations are slightly more difficult to implement such as a learning collaborative to integrate recommendations into practice and a safety pause campaign. Level three and four recommendations are more difficult to implement and involve technology design solutions. Currently, the focus is on the completion of the level one and two recommendations with an anticipated completion of these tactics this spring. Additionally, funding and partnership opportunities are being explored to move to the higher level (levels 3 and 4) actions.

Phase 3: Training and Dissemination of Findings:

Although final recommendations are not yet complete, there are already key learnings from the research that are being shared with different audiences through conferences and webinars which has generated positive feedback and excitement for this work.

If you’re interested in learning more about mechanical lift safety, please contact Julie Apold.