Oral

The Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (CPH-NEW) is a NIOSH Center for Excellence for Promoting a Healthy Workforce. Our research goals are to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions that combine workplace health promotion and health protection for employee health outcomes, cost benefits, and overcoming obstacles to structural barriers within organizations. Participatory programs are emphasized. Three presentations in this session will summarize interim results of a combined ergonomic and wellness program intervention in one east coast long-term healthcare corporation. A case study of a participatory health promotion intervention in one nursing care facility will describe the overall assessment, intervention, and evaluation process, with special attention to challenges and implications for participatory ergonomics in this sector. Next, we will present observational data showing reduced ergonomic exposures following the implementation of a “no-lift” program in a sample of four nursing homes. Survey data and focus group data from certified clinical nursing staff in these and other facilities will offer insights about factors associated with lift use, and implications for program sustainability will be discussed. The final presentation will describe preliminary findings on return on investment from the company-wide “no-lift” intervention, and whether there was any additional cost of having an active employee wellness programs.

Session Objectives: Describe three methods for evaluating effectiveness of a combined ergonomic and health promotion intervention. Evaluate the effectiveness of programs analyzing ergonomic observational data.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)