Case Study: Northfield Hospital + Clinics

How Northfield Hospital Made Endoscopy Staff Satisfaction Soar with the Reduction of Musculoskeletal Disorders

Northfield Hospital is an independent, integrated health care organization with a 100+ year history. The 37-bed hospital provides primary and specialty care services in a tranquil, state-of-the-art facility focused on personal attention.

The Challenge

Nurses are more likely to suffer a job-related injury than any other profession in the United States. Endoscopy presents an increased risk of injury due to the techniques required to help advance the scope to the cecum, primarily manual abdominal pressure and patient repositioning. Manual pressure can be required in up to 70% of all colonoscopies and nurses and technicians can exert well over 100lbs of pressure to mitigate the effects of looping.

Staff at Northfield were applying manual abdominal pressure and repositioning in 60% and 43% of procedures, respectively. 60% of the staff had reported experiencing physical troubles within the last 12 months, specifically due to the ergonomic challenges of colonoscopy. 20% of staff reported pain/discomfort on a daily basis.