Other Titles
Enhancing Patient and Team Member Safety: Classroom to Clinical Integration for Nursing Students: Bridging the Gap in Safe Patient Handling and Mobility (SPHM) Education [Title Slide]
Abstract
Patient safety is a prevalent term used in healthcare. This commitment is made each time we care for a patient. We must look at bridging the gap between academia and the clinical setting to keep this promise. Academia focuses on theoretical foundations, ethical aspects, and critical thinking. The clinical aspect focuses on patient care, inclusive of hands-on skills, communication, and critical thinking. All are crucial to the overall development of our students and patient safety. What else is essential to patient safety? A student's self-care, we need to respect our bodies. The phrase, “If you don’t care for yourself, you cannot care for anyone else.” is often used. How true! Safe Patient Handling and Mobility (SPHM) is part of caring for both the patient and the student.
SPHM education is minimal and is not a standardized part of the academic curriculum in the United States (Karppi et al., 2022); why? The nursing profession experiences the highest incidences of back injuries compared to all professions in the US. Statistics show that 63-75% of nurses report having low back, neck, and shoulder pain (Krishnan et al., 2021). This affects their physical and mental health but also their overall job satisfaction and quality of life (Tariq et al., 2023). Even the World Health Organization emphasizes safe patient care and highlights contemporary knowledge and technical development (Trešlová et al., 2020).
A literature review exposed a gap in SPHM training, specifically for nursing students. How can we respond to this gap as educators, and why is this important? Patient and student safety is a priority. Patient mobilization begins during a student’s first clinical experience. An incorrect move can cause harm to the patient or the student and set back a patient’s recovery or prevent a student from reaching their goal of becoming a nurse should the injury be severe. According to Graham (2020), one-third of nursing students will experience some type of back injury during their program. Do we want our students to start their careers with injuries that can be prevented with education? By implementing a concise SPHM curriculum using an interactive and interprofessional approach, the gap can be closed. Health care and its future are ever-changing. Preventing practice gaps by being proactive and incorporating the SPHM curriculum into nursing curricula is valuable for both the student and the client. Providing safe, quality patient care is what nursing is all about.
Notes
References:
Graham, P. L. (2020). Increasing patient and student nurse safety using safe patient handling. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 45, 24–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2020.01.006
Karppi, M., Jerez-Roig, J., Naamanka, K., Mimoso, T., Sormunen, E., Dudoniene, V., Mämmelä, E., Lucena, A., & Tamminen-Peter, L. (2022). Safe patient handling education: Analysis from European Higher Education Institutions. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 35(5), 615–623. https://doi.org/10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01954
Krishnan, K. S., Raju, G., & Shawkataly, O. (2021). Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders: Psychological and physical risk factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(17), 9361. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18179361
Tariq, R., George, J., Ampat, G., & Toney-Butler, T. (2023). Back Safety. StatPearls.
Trešlová, M., Filausová, D., Šedová, L., & Hajduchová, H. (2020). Awareness of patient physical handling issues associated with routine nursing care. Nursing Reports, 10(2), 56–65. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep10020009
Sigma Membership
Chi Gamma
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary, Simulation, Acute Care, Clinical Practice, Promoting Clinical Outcomes, Patient Safety, Safe Patient Handling and Mobility, Nursing Student Safety
Recommended Citation
Joseph, Yvonne and Roy, Asha, "Enhancing Patient and Team Member Safety: Classroom to Clinical Integration for Nursing Students" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 57.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/presentations_2025/57
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-11-20
Enhancing Patient and Team Member Safety: Classroom to Clinical Integration for Nursing Students
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Patient safety is a prevalent term used in healthcare. This commitment is made each time we care for a patient. We must look at bridging the gap between academia and the clinical setting to keep this promise. Academia focuses on theoretical foundations, ethical aspects, and critical thinking. The clinical aspect focuses on patient care, inclusive of hands-on skills, communication, and critical thinking. All are crucial to the overall development of our students and patient safety. What else is essential to patient safety? A student's self-care, we need to respect our bodies. The phrase, “If you don’t care for yourself, you cannot care for anyone else.” is often used. How true! Safe Patient Handling and Mobility (SPHM) is part of caring for both the patient and the student.
SPHM education is minimal and is not a standardized part of the academic curriculum in the United States (Karppi et al., 2022); why? The nursing profession experiences the highest incidences of back injuries compared to all professions in the US. Statistics show that 63-75% of nurses report having low back, neck, and shoulder pain (Krishnan et al., 2021). This affects their physical and mental health but also their overall job satisfaction and quality of life (Tariq et al., 2023). Even the World Health Organization emphasizes safe patient care and highlights contemporary knowledge and technical development (Trešlová et al., 2020).
A literature review exposed a gap in SPHM training, specifically for nursing students. How can we respond to this gap as educators, and why is this important? Patient and student safety is a priority. Patient mobilization begins during a student’s first clinical experience. An incorrect move can cause harm to the patient or the student and set back a patient’s recovery or prevent a student from reaching their goal of becoming a nurse should the injury be severe. According to Graham (2020), one-third of nursing students will experience some type of back injury during their program. Do we want our students to start their careers with injuries that can be prevented with education? By implementing a concise SPHM curriculum using an interactive and interprofessional approach, the gap can be closed. Health care and its future are ever-changing. Preventing practice gaps by being proactive and incorporating the SPHM curriculum into nursing curricula is valuable for both the student and the client. Providing safe, quality patient care is what nursing is all about.
Description
Imagine student engagement while prioritizing patient safety and self-care. This session will address information related to safe patient handling and mobility techniques, which will enhance clinical and critical thinking skills and equip students to provide safe patient care.