Emilie Otis, PT Assistant at South Peninsula Hospital (SPH), is one of two Facility Champions for SPH's Unit Peer Leader Program. This program, implemented in 2012 as a product of an Ergonomic Task Force, empowers staff to use equipment for patient care, make recommendations for improvements and improving patient care and safety, as well as ensuring staff safety with reduced risk for injury.
As a Facility Champion, Emilie has been ensuring that every patient care unit at SPH has Unit Peer Leaders (UPL) so that Safe Patient Handling and Movement Policy is utilized. Emilie has been the lead person in coordinating annual training of UPL, recruiting UPL on patient care units, and keeping the program organized and up to date.
The training is very hands on, utilizing patient scenarios and using current equipment that SPH has available. There is also inventory of equipment and ensuring that equipment is maintained and available for staff to use when needed.
As a result of this program, SPH has been able to maintain a greatly reduced staff injury rate related to patient handling and movement over the last eight years of growth. SPH also has the equipment needed to ensure that patient and staff are safe, probably more than most facilities of its size. Emilie has been an outstanding force in this interdisciplinary approach to keeping staff and patients safe.
Congratulations, Emilie!