Product Applications From the Field: November 2017

A Safer Way to Lift

Back injuries have ended countless EMS careers and interrupted even more, and a lot of them came from lifting patients. EMS workers, researchers have found, have a risk of lifting-related injury that’s 21 times higher than the national average. The twisting and turning and hoisting required to get people out of their difficult positions poses a constant threat to career longevity. 

A 30-day trial of the Binder Lift convinced leaders at Louisiana’s Lafourche Ambulance District #1 they’d found a way to minimize that threat. 

“The Binder Lift website says it perfectly: Humans aren’t born with handles,” says Brady Daigle, the service’s operations manager. “This device puts handles on a human being for ease of lifting. 

“Very often our patients who need lifting off the ground don’t have strong clothing on—they’ll have some type of gown or pajamas. Putting the Binder Lift on gives you something to grab onto, whereas without it you have to lift by their arms or legs.” 

The Binder Lift is a torso wrap that can be applied even in confined spaces. It has 19–25 handles to help crews maneuver patients from floor to cot. The wrap design spreads the lifting forces, reducing the patient’s risk of skin tears, bruising and fractures. It comes in nylon and vinyl, in standard and bariatric sizes. 

Lafourche trialed the Binder Lift under a program the company offers, equipping supervisors and letting everyone apply it and wear it for familiarity. Staff liked it so much, the service proceeded to outfit all its trucks. 

“My first concern was that it might take too long to put it on and my medics wouldn’t use it,” says Daigle. “But once they tried it, they embraced it unbelievably. It’s so quick to apply and use, I don’t know of anybody who’s lifting anybody anymore without it.

“Our main focus was to prevent preventable injuries to our employees—we try to be proactive and get whatever equipment we can that might benefit us in that way. The price you pay for the Binder Lift is very small compared to just one worker’s comp claim.”  

Visit www.binderlift.com.

Protecting Providers' Health

Caregiver injuries among EMS providers are a constant challenge, with patient transport leading the list of job-related dangers that can lead to lost duty time.

Shaun Curtis, risk and safety manager for MedStar Mobile Healthcare, a Texas-based EMS provider covering advanced life support ambulance service to 436 square miles and more than 936,000 residents, oversees employee health and well-being among the company’s work force. 

“We were noticing a high frequency of sprains and strains among our providers, and theorized that improved body mechanics could reduce these incidents,” recalls Curtis. In the summer of 2015, the safety team began a comprehensive review of available patient transfer equipment and trialed powered systems from leading manufacturers. After consulting with ergonomics professionals and seeking input from their field staff, MedStar settled on the Stryker Movement System.

“We wanted it to be their decision,” Curtis says of seeking buy-in from EMS staff. “They liked the ease of use, and it had all the features we were looking for.”

MedStar contracted with their remount team and phased in the system gradually, installing it on 2–3 ambulances at a time and training staff both on the new system and a revamped patient lifting protocol including stretching and proper body mechanics. MedStar staffs a fleet of 57 ambulances responding to over 140,000 calls per year.

“It was a smooth implementation and we heard nothing but positive feedback,” Curtis says. “If we heard any negatives, it was ‘why did this take so long?’”

An objective cost-benefit analysis supported their choice with hard data—staff injuries went down drastically, from roughly 60 per year prior to implementation to just 2 in 2016. The company saved over $32,000 in the first year.

“Employees drive your success,” says Curtis. “While the cost savings are a plus, the primary benefit is improved staff morale. That transfers to your patients and enhances your reputation in the community.” 

Visit www.ems.stryker.com/.

Transferring Patients in Hard-to-Reach Areas

Without proper equipment, transporting patients can compromise the safety of both EMS providers and the patient. Graham Medical can ensure patient and provider safety with the MegaMover Transport Unit. 

The MegaMover is a portable, compact and cost-effective transport unit designed for transferring, rescuing and transporting patients from inaccessible areas or difficult terrain to a stretcher. It features 14 handles, allowing for comfortable lifting and carrying, and can hold up to 1,000 lbs.

Glenn Watts of Henry Schein EMS, an ambulance product distributor, always recommends the MegaMover as the first choice to providers looking for quality patient transfer devices. It’s also always listed as the desired brand for patient transport units on customers’ product lists.

“It’s pretty much the industry standard. All of Graham’s products are high quality. I cannot recall any complaints with this,” says Watts. Watts and his team evaluated the MegaMover’s quality during a series of rigorous tests, concluding it was the most durable and ergonomic solution compared to competitors’ patient transport units. 

“A product like this really does help you get down and navigate [difficult] terrain…They’re made out of a fairly light but incredibly strong material,” Watts says.

Watts points out the convenient design of shorter handles, allowing EMS providers to carry the patient closer to the hip to reduce strain on the back and prevent injury. The straps also feature handle grips, providing a more comfortable hold. These design elements make it much easier to transport patients from hard-to-reach areas, such as steep embankments off the side of a road.

“Graham has a great group of people that really care and are passionate about their products, and that helps them build a great product,” says Watts.  

Visit www.grahammedical.com.

Safer Passengers at Sea

During the summer, tourists and recreating mainlanders turn little Block Island into a big destination. The regular population of the Atlantic island, which sits 13 miles off Rhode Island and 14 from Long Island, is around 1,000; on busy summer days that can swell to 15,000–20,000. 

The main way both tourists and residents come and go is by ferry. Such craft are required to have basic first aid equipment, but one local official worried their supplies were insufficient for graver modern threats. The island—which is served by a volunteer rescue squad and small medical center—has seen events like plane crashes and a fatal drug overdose in recent years.

Bill McCombe, the island’s codirector of emergency management and head of security for the ferries, wanted to supplement what the boats had on hand to help passengers help passengers.

“On any given day,” McCombe says, “we have doctors, nurses and police officers who are traveling for vacation or live on the island going back and forth. Our thought was that if something were to happen, we’d rather have more tools available than expertise than have too much expertise but no tools available.”

With grant funds from the state, McCombe collaborated with local responders and set about assembling the equipment they wanted, but then discovered the Curaplex line of prepackaged kits available from Bound Tree. The kits are designed to enable quick, targeted response to a variety of medical and traumatic situations—and they cost less than building the desired capacities piecemeal. 

Each of the boats got kits for basic first aid, burns and active-shooter situations, oxygen and key medications such as epinephrine and naloxone, along with vests to help identify the caregivers using them. In emergency situations, crews will make the contents available to those qualified and willing to assist. 

“The kits cover everything from OB situations to snakebites,” says McCombe. “There are so many things we spend money on that are only ever used if there’s a horrific accident, and you hope they never get used. These kits seemed much more practical—it won’t take a terror attack for these tools to be useful on multiple levels. It’s one of those things where, for short money, there’s a big return.”  

Visit www.boundtree.com/curaplex.

Swifter and Safer Crew Belting System

When the EVS Ltd. design and engineering team set out to create a revolutionary belting system for better crew protection, they had a few primary objectives in mind: safety, speed and ease of use. No matter how much the company invested in perfecting the design and operation of its belting systems, they kept hearing the same thing—users simply didn’t wear them.

With that goal, the specialty manufacturer of industry-leading seating and belting options for the EMS industry developed its newest innovation: the 2160 series of seating, the most advanced crew seating option on the market.

The 2160 series removes all barriers preventing EMS professionals from maintaining their own safety while performing the dangerous work of emergency medical services. New features include an innovative six-point belting design with quick and easy seat belt access and a thinner profile to allow the seat to get closer to the wall, allowing more leg room. The seat unfolds flat to transport a second patient if necessary. The system is certified to meet all safety standards while providing maximum flexibility for the EMT.

“[Director of Operations] Adam [Humbarger] and his team have been fantastic to work with,” says Ned Clifton, sales manager at American Response Vehicles, a leading dealer of new and used ambulances covering Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky. “They’re very proactive and open to end-user input on features and requests.” 

A key upgrade on the 2160 series is the BackPack restraint system, a six-point harness configuration that secures crew members by simply sliding one’s arms behind two straps, rather than buckling at 3–4 separate points. In addition to faster and easier application, the retractor mechanism is housed underneath the seat rather than behind it, saving critical cabin space.

Other benefits include a seat cushion that’s two inches shorter than the previous model, increasing leg room, and the ability to mount a car seat for child transport.

Clifton works with purchasers of ambulances and emergency crews to determine their needs and desired features, and finds EVS systems are often at the top of agency wish lists. They’re constantly evolving to meet new safety standards and user feedback. “Their customer service is outstanding,” says Clifton, adding that responsiveness to questions and requests is among the company’s strengths.

Since 1993, EVS Ltd. has created more safety seating products than anyone else in the EMS industry by investing in research and development and dynamic testing. Products include mobility tracking systems, safety seats for adults and children, flip-ups and captain’s chairs, integrated restraints and a full line of seating accessories.

Headquartered in South Bend, Ind., EVS Ltd. Is 100% employee-owned and a three-time winner of the EMS World Innovation Awards.  

Visit evsltd.com.

Preparing for the Unexpected

As mass casualty incidents and natural disasters continue to significantly impact communities, it is vital that EMS providers have the sufficient training and knowledge to effectively respond to these events.

The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) designed the eight-hour long All Hazards Disaster Response (AHDR) course to teach participants how to deal with active shooter incidents, pandemics, fires, infrastructure failings and other large-scale events. AHDR instructs EMS providers of all levels how to analyze potential local threats and evaluate what resources are available to help save lives.

“There really is no other course like AHDR which really digs into the medical component of responding to a whole host of disasters,” says Faizan H. Arshad, MD, one of the course authors and EMS medical director of Healthquest Systems in Hudson Valley, N.Y. 

Arshad says a disaster preparedness committee from ACEP identified the need for disaster management courses that focus on training medical prehospital providers and teamed up with NAEMT.

“In EMS, ‘All disasters are local.’ A first responder’s day is unpredictable,” says Arshad. “Because of that unpredictability, it’s incredibly important for providers to have a basic knowledge and some algorithms in their mind in regard to the medical component of the response…and how EMS can take the lead in an ICS framework.”

Rather than teaching participants general protocols, the course instructs prehospital providers how their specific roles will need to be executed in a disaster scenario so they know exactly what they will be expected to do. Examples of training scenarios include radiological or nuclear events, a wedding where many guests are fatally poisoned, and an active shooter. Arshad describes the course as “new age” in terms of its teaching methodology. Rather than being presented with multiple PowerPoints, students are led through modules and instructor-led group activities. 

AHDR is one of many in a suite of NAEMT’s prehospital trauma life support courses, all of which Arshad recommends to enhance providers’ readiness. “This will arm providers with the medical knowledge necessary to respond to disasters and be highly effective in taking care of critically injured and potentially contaminated patients. It’s vitally important they take the knowledge that we give them in AHDR back to their agencies...to prepare for that eventuality which none of us want to happen but nevertheless we have to be prepared to respond to as providers.”  

Visit www.naemt.org/education/ahdr.