AWARE -NS is pleased to highlight the Soteria Strains Project in this month's edition of AWARE-NS News.  AWARE-NS is an active partner with this important initiative in developing a provincial program for safe patient lift, transfer and repositioning to support the goal of lowering workplace injuries in health care, and  helping to ensure more people return home safely at the end of each workday.

 Please take a moment to read Mark William's article providing a progress report on  this important program.  Louise Barker, WCB also provides insight on the  Musculoskeletal  Injuries and the train the trainer program developed for Safe, Lift & Transfer in Long Term Care.  This Peer-to-peer training program  and coaching model  provides support for one another through implementation   to  ensure sustainability for success.

We were pleased to be able to share the afternoon agenda with HANS, Continuing Care Fall Assembly on November 28,2104  by welcoming  Greg Green, NS Department of Labour and Advanced Education. Greg provided an informative engagement and feedback session on the "Workplace Health and Safety Regulations-Phase II. This session was recorded via Webinar and will be posted to our video library. All questions and comments were documented. AWARE-NS will keep you posted on any updates! Thanks to all for participating.

Don't forget to check out our Self Directed Learning on www.awarens.ca  and Heather's Training calendar!

The Soteria Strains Safe Patient Handling and Movement Program is being developed by representatives from Nova Scotia's district health authorities and their partners. The intention is to provide acute care facilities and organizations in the province with guidance about implementing and sustaining an evidence-based, effective safe patient handling and movement program within their facilities and/or organization.

The Soteria Strains Working group originally identified 2 major deliverables (and added another later in the process) to provide to the partner organizations.  These are:

1. A Program Guide- this includes elements shown to be effective in published literature as well as elements identified as helpful or required based on what was heard during engagement sessions with the individuals who manage and perform work that involves patient handling and movement. 
2. An Implementation/Sustainability Guide - This is a step by step plan on how to successfully implement and sustain the Soteria Strains Safe Patient Handling and Movement Program. 
3. Training material to support the guides.   (It became clear during the program design and writing phase that due to the amount of information contained in the guides, providing training material would maximize the potential for success of the program) 

Update on progress:

• Writing/Design Phase:

• o   Implementation Guide
  • Complete:   Draft version 1.0
  • Current work(s):   Formatting for distribution
  • Future Work:  The guide will be used to support a pilot.  Feedback will be obtained from the pilot to identify gaps and improve the guide.
  • o   Program Guide
    • Complete:   Draft version 1.0 - includes all core sections required for program success
    • Current work(s):  
      • Editing of a few subsections continues and is expected to be completed prior piloting the material.  These subsections contain specific considerations, information, and tools that may be used to supplement the processes described in the completed core sections.
      • Formatting for distribution
    • Future Work:  The guide will be used to support a pilot.  Feedback will be obtained from the pilot to identify gaps and improve the guide.
  • o   Training Material
    • Complete - Lessons plans and duration estimates for all identified training modules.   Content has been created for approximately 25% of the training material (priority has been placed on material required early in the implementation process).
    • Current work - content that is completed is being formatted for e-learning (for modules that have been identified as appropriate for e-learning).   Content continues to be generated for modules that would be delivered early in program implementation.
    • Future work - content creation for all modules. Feedback will be obtained from the pilot to identify gaps and improve the material.

For an overview of the material contained in the guides follow the link to the Program and Implementation Guides Introduction.  For a sneak peak at some content follow the link to the section on the point of care mobility check (PACE).

• Pilot/beta testing
• Key elements of the Soteria Strains Safe Patient Handling and Movement Program (for example the critical element; Commitment of Senior Leaders) are influenced by changes resulting from the transition from 9 district health authorities and the IWK to a single provincial health authority and IWK.  The Soteria Strains Working group has developed several contingency plans for how the program material may be tested prior to a full provincial rollout.   Key stakeholders within the District Health Authorities are being contacted to review options for this next phase.  The target is to begin testing materials early in 2015.

If you feel you may be a key stakeholder within a district health authority or the IWK, and have not been contacted yet please feel free to contact the Soteria Strains Project Leader, Mark Williams at mark.williams@cdha.nshealth.ca  or the Soteria Strains Working Group Chairperson, Michael Carter at MCarter@avdha.nshealth.ca .