Track: Human Factors and Ergonomics

Abstract

Abstract— Manual handling of patients is a prevalent phenomenon in hospitals as well as nursing homes.  The task of handling patients is ergonomically challenging, since it involves pushing, lifting, or lowering, which are often performed while adopting poor postures (e.g., excessive reaching, bending, or twisting).  Epidemiology studies have demonstrated that these ergonomic risk factors are associated with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among nurses and caregivers.  The objective of this study was to describe MSDs among caregivers in several nursing homes and, furthermore, to conceptually design relevant patient handling assistive technology.  Standardized Nordic questionnaires were given to 14 caregivers, which is useful in determining the prevalence of MSDs in different regions of the body.  In addition, a video camera was employed with the purpose of capturing common body postures adopted during handling tasks.  Results of this study demonstrated that 71% of the respondents reported shoulder pain, while 79% of them reported lower back pain (LBP).  While the number of respondents was fairly small, this finding still showed that MSDs were a serious ergonomic issue.  Based on the data obtained in this study, the use of a patient handling technology is highly recommended in homecare settings.