House File 635 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  MASCHER


    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to manual patient handling by nurses in a
  2    hospital setting.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 2817HH 81
  5 rn/pj/5

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 135B.7, Code 2005, is amended by adding
  1  2 the following new unnumbered paragraph:
  1  3    NEW UNNUMBERED PARAGRAPH.  The department shall adopt rules
  1  4 requiring hospitals to establish and implement protocols
  1  5 relating to manual patient handling by nurses.  The protocols
  1  6 shall be designed to prevent musculoskeletal and other
  1  7 injuries by nursing staff by establishing procedures which
  1  8 minimize manual patient handling by individual nurses,
  1  9 utilizing patient lifting procedures such as lifting teams,
  1 10 and making available electronic assistive equipment as an
  1 11 alternative to manual patient handling.
  1 12                           EXPLANATION
  1 13    This bill provides that the Iowa department of public
  1 14 health shall adopt rules requiring hospitals to establish and
  1 15 implement protocols relating to manual patient handling by
  1 16 nurses.  The bill specifies that the purpose of the protocols
  1 17 developed shall be to prevent musculoskeletal and other
  1 18 injuries by nursing staff.  The bill provides that the
  1 19 protocols shall establish procedures which minimize manual
  1 20 patient handling by individual nurses, utilize patient lifting
  1 21 procedures such as lifting teams, and make available
  1 22 electronic assistive equipment.
  1 23 LSB 2817HH 81
  1 24 rn:rj/pj/5