A blog on the Becker's Hospital Review website urges hospitals to invest in safety equipment.
"I believe that the topic of nursing injuries should be one of the highest priorities any hospital executive should explore immediately and rectify with dispatch. It is simply the right thing to do," wrote Chuck Lauer, former publisher of Modern Healthcare.
Nurses have been injuring their backs by moving patients for decades, according to the blog, What is new is that something can be done about it, but many hospitals seem to be unwilling to buy the necessary equipment.
The problem of nursing injuries continues because unenlightened hospital executives refuse to do something to protect the very people who in any hospital are the ones who provide the most care to patients, Lauer said.