CHAPTER 256. SAFE PATIENT HANDLING AND MOVEMENT PRACTICES - Texas Statutes

HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE

TITLE 4. HEALTH FACILITIES

SUBTITLE B. LICENSING OF HEALTH FACILITIES

CHAPTER 256. SAFE PATIENT HANDLING AND MOVEMENT PRACTICES

Sec. 256.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:

(1) "Hospital" means a general or special hospital, as defined

by Section 241.003, a private mental hospital licensed under

Chapter 577, or another hospital that is maintained or operated

by the state.

(2) "Nursing home" means an institution licensed under Chapter

242.

Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.

401, Sec. 1, eff. January 1, 2006.

Sec. 256.002. REQUIRED SAFE PATIENT HANDLING AND MOVEMENT

POLICY. (a) The governing body of a hospital or the quality

assurance committee of a nursing home shall adopt and ensure

implementation of a policy to identify, assess, and develop

strategies to control risk of injury to patients and nurses

associated with the lifting, transferring, repositioning, or

movement of a patient.

(b) The policy shall establish a process that, at a minimum,

includes:

(1) analysis of the risk of injury to both patients and nurses

posed by the patient handling needs of the patient populations

served by the hospital or nursing home and the physical

environment in which patient handling and movement occurs;

(2) education of nurses in the identification, assessment, and

control of risks of injury to patients and nurses during patient

handling;

(3) evaluation of alternative ways to reduce risks associated

with patient handling, including evaluation of equipment and the

environment;

(4) restriction, to the extent feasible with existing equipment

and aids, of manual patient handling or movement of all or most

of a patient's weight to emergency, life-threatening, or

otherwise exceptional circumstances;

(5) collaboration with and annual report to the nurse staffing

committee;

(6) procedures for nurses to refuse to perform or be involved in

patient handling or movement that the nurse believes in good

faith will expose a patient or a nurse to an unacceptable risk of

injury;

(7) submission of an annual report to the governing body or the

quality assurance committee on activities related to the

identification, assessment, and development of strategies to

control risk of injury to patients and nurses associated with the

lifting, transferring, repositioning, or movement of a patient;

and

(8) in developing architectural plans for constructing or

remodeling a hospital or nursing home or a unit of a hospital or

nursing home in which patient handling and movement occurs,

consideration of the feasibility of incorporating patient

handling equipment or the physical space and construction design

needed to incorporate that equipment at a later date.

Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.

401, Sec. 1, eff. January 1, 2006.