SAPHA COURSE Safe patient handling and mobility education

Abstract

This SAPHA COURSE Safe patient handling and mobility education handbook is developed to improve the patient handling education in higher education institutions in Europe. The handbook is based on the concept of safe patient handling, which refers to the application of human factors into daily patient assisting situations and in which the health care workers assist patients safely and carefully considering the patient’s full rehabilitation potential. The SAPHA course itself includes learning materials for a holistic approach across all patient handling situations, including a systematic risk evaluation, the patient’s functional assessment, an optimized and safe environment, the usage of appropriate assistive aids and devices, safe assisting methods and optimal working positions and body control of the worker. This handbook consists of comprehensive guidance for health care educators on how to utilize the SAPHA course, which was developed in co-operation by six European countries. It offers an overview of the SAPHA contents, both theoretical and practical parts, as well as suggestions for the course evaluation. This handbook guides the educators in higher educational institutions to update their patient handling education to correspond the evidence-based practises.