The impact of national guidelines covering moving and handling of people on injury rates and related costs

Abstract

Objective National guidelines for moving and handling of people (MHP) were introduced in New Zealand in 2012 to reduce MHP-related injuries in the healthcare sector. This study assessed the effectiveness of this on MHP-related injury claims. Methods MHP-related injury claims were identified from the national injury claims database, which included 118 755 accepted claims for 2005–2016 across 14 industries. Interrupted time-series analysis was used to assess temporal changes in MHP-related claims rates, costs, and causes for the period before (2005–2012) and following (2013–2016) the introduction of the national guidelines. Results Prior to the introduction of the guidelines, MHP-related claims were estimated to be 39 209 (33.0% of all accepted injury claims), with claims rates and associated costs for the 14 industries decreasing by 0.4 [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.5‒ -0.2, P<0.001] and NZ$ 230 per claim (95% CI -324‒ -136, P=0.001) respectively. In the year following the introduction of the guidelines, there were no overall changes in claim rates or costs. However, significant increases in claim rates [ranging from 1.27–1.99 (P=0.004–0.010)] and claim costs [ranging from NZ$ 724–987 per claim (P=0.032–0.045)] were found 2–4 years later. More than 65% of all MHP-related claims were caused by lifting/carrying/strain, and there was a significant increase in claim numbers due to this cause, ranging from 431.7–594.0 (P=0.001–0.008) in the four years following the introduction of the guidelines. Conclusions The introduction of national MHP-guidelines in 2012 in New Zealand did not reduce MHP-related injury rates and costs. On the contrary, there were statistically significant increases 2–4 years after introduction of the guidelines.