Vancouver Island Health Authority The Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA), in collaboration with OHSAH and the WCB, worked to develop a standardized Health Authority-tailored musculoskeletal injury prevention (MSIP) train-the-trainer program specific to safe patient handling. A VIHA MSIP team consisted of 4 VIHA MSIP and Safety Advisors from across the island, (2 South Island, 1 Central Island and 1 North Island representative). The VIHA Prevention and Early Active Return to Work Safely (PEARS) Program coordinator was brought onto the team towards the end of the first 12 months of program development. The VIHA MSIP team, in collaboration with 2 Ergonomists from OHSAH and 2 WCB Safety Officers formed the MSIP Program working group for this project.

The working group set out to achieve the following objectives:

• Review existing policies and develop standardized MSIP procedures for safe patient handling.
• Provide ongoing patient handling MSI education and training for care staff.
• Increase patient handling health and safety activities.
• Provide support for the elimination of all unnecessary manual lifting of patients.
• C omply with the WCB Ergonomic (MSI) regulations.
• Allow for ongoing evaluation of MSIP program effectiveness.

The program, developed by the working group, consisted of three major components. These components were:

• Recommended safe patient handling work practices
• Written VIHA safe patient handling procedures and guidelines for the patient risk assessment process
• A modular peer champion (train-the-trainer program)

Two long term care facilities in the Central Region of Vancouver Island participated in a one-year pilot study of this peer champion education and training program. The implementation included coordinating and delivering the education and training for the peer champions at each site, in order for the peer champions to educate and train care staff within their facility. The education and training sessions covered the VIHA MSIP program components, MSI risk factors, patient assessment processes and safe patient handling and work practices.