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Case Study: Northfield Hospital + Clinics

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Case Study: Northfield Hospital + Clinics

How Northfield Hospital Made Endoscopy Staff Satisfaction Soar with the Reduction of Musculoskeletal Disorders

Northfield Hospital is an independent, integrated health care organization with a 100+ year history. The 37-bed hospital provides primary and specialty care services in a tranquil, state-of-the-art facility focused on personal attention.

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Objectives

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Prevent endoscopy staff injuries due to manual pressure and repositioning

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Reduce prolonged procedures and overtime

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Improve Endoscopy staff satisfaction

The Challenge

Nurses are more likely to suffer a job-related injury than any other profession in the United States. Endoscopy presents an increased risk of injury due to the techniques required to help advance the scope to the cecum, primarily manual abdominal pressure and patient repositioning. Manual pressure can be required in up to 70% of all colonoscopies and nurses and technicians can exert well over 100lbs of pressure to mitigate the effects of looping.

Staff at Northfield were applying manual abdominal pressure and repositioning in 60% and 43% of procedures, respectively. 60% of the staff had reported experiencing physical troubles within the last 12 months, specifically due to the ergonomic challenges of colonoscopy. 20% of staff reported pain/discomfort on a daily basis.


The Solution

Northfield came to ColoWrap with a big problem — declining staff satisfaction. With the guidance of the ColoWrap team, Amber Lusk worked with physicians to identify the root cause of declining morale. The answer? Endoscopy staff were suffering silently in pain due to the physical demands of applying manual pressure and repositioning patients during colonoscopy. Furthermore, the need to use these techniques often coincided with prolonged procedures, schedule mishaps, and working overtime. 

ColoWrap® is the first clinical solution to mitigate the need for manual abdominal pressure and patient repositioning during colonoscopy. ColoWrap® improves throughput, reduces cecal intubation time, and empowers organizations to deliver a safer environment for patients, staff, and physicians. 

Results

Speed Insertion
Time

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3.6 min faster insertion time per procedure

Minimize Pressure
& Repositioning

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Patient repositioning reduced by 79%

Mitigate Strain
& Pain

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100% of staff reported a reduction in MSK pain
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At first glance, I thought ColoWrap was just another abdominal binder. I quickly learned that I was wrong!

The first time I used the ColoWrap I didn’t have to apply any manual pressure. Even in the rare instances when abdominal pressure is needed, the device’s secondary straps allow our staff to effortlessly apply targeted pressure. Our staff and physicians are ecstatic that ColoWrap has also assisted to significantly reduce patient repositioning, reports of staff pain, and procedure times.

- Amber Lusk, MSN, RN, CNOR | Northfield Hospital

Did You Know?

Manual Pressure

Percentage of procedures in which manual pressure is required

70%

Forces Exerted

Amount of manual pressure can exceed

100 lbs

OSHA Safety Limits

Maximum recommended force per day

30 lbs / 5 minutes
or less

Nurses/Tech

Average time spent applying 100 lbs of force per day

6.4 minutes per case x 8-10 cases

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