Partner Jerry Lehocky was interviewed for the premier of NPR’s four-part series Injured Nurses, which explores the rising epidemic of debilitating back, shoulder and other body injuries nursing employees are suffering. The first segment will air on NPR’s All Things Considered beginning today, Wednesday, February 4, 2015, at 4 p.m. EST.
Nurses experience back and shoulder injuries more than almost any other occupation, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many injuries are caused from lifting and moving patients using the prescribed method taught by nursing schools, but these methods are not preventing injuries. These injuries occur unnecessarily: there is machinery available to assist nurses, but employers are not investing in this technology. Hospitals can end up spending hundreds of thousands of dollars each year paying medical bills and workers’ compensation for their injured nursing staff, which directly impacts patients’ bills and adds to the rising cost of medical care. Medical facilities need to ensure that their staff is protected from very preventable injuries by taking advantage of technological advancements, which could in turn reduce indirect patient costs.
All Things Considered can be heard on WHYY-FM, which airs on 90.9 in Philadelphia and in New Jersey on: 90.3 Cape May Court House; 89.9 Manahawkin; 89.7 Atlantic City; 89.3 Bridgeton; and 88.1 Berlin. You can also listen live online. The first segment begins today at 4 p.m. EST and will air on the following three Wednesdays.