Redesigning Patient Handling Tasks to Prevent Nursing Back Injuries
Summary
This study is one of several initiated by the investigators to reduce musculoskeletal injuries in patient care providers. Nurses have one of the highest incidences of work related back injuries of any profession. Over the past 20 years, efforts to reduce work-related injuries in nursing have been largely unsuccessful.
Description
Background:
This study is one of several initiated by the investigators to reduce musculoskeletal injuries in patient care providers. Nurses have one of the highest incidences of work related back injuries of any profession. Over the past 20 years, efforts to reduce work-related injuries in nursing have been largely unsuccessful.
Objectives:
The goal of this study is to reduce the incidence and severity of occupational musculoskeletal injuries in nursing through the redesign of stressful patient handling tasks. This study addresses three objectives: 1) conduct a quantitative, biomechanically based, ergonomic evaluation of the eleven "at risk" tasks in nursing practice; 2) redesign the techniques or equipment needed to perform these tasks safely or with reduced risk of musculoskeletal injury; and 3) conduct laboratory- based assessment of the biomechanical benefit of the proposed intervention strategies.
Methods:
Using a randomized experimental design with a control group, ten "at risk" tasks will be evaluated. The sample included 160 experienced nursing staff. Data were collected using: 1) Caregiver Data Form and Anthropometry Data Sheet; 2) 3-D Electromagnetic Tracking System; 3) EMG; and 4) modified Borg Scale for Perceived Comfort. Include: caregiver characteristics, joint torque, spinal forces, spinal tolerance limit and damage load limit, erector spinae surface EMG, joint angles, percent of population capable of performing each task by gender, velocity of lift, reach, heart rate, and perceived comfort.
Status:
This project is complete.
Study Design
Allocation: Randomized, Control: Active Control, Endpoint Classification: Safety Study, Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Prevention
Conditions
Back Pain
Intervention
Redesigning patient handling tasks using equip: Arjo Bianca Overhead Lift, Hill-Rom Resident Transfer Device, TranSit Chair, Total Care Bed, Redesigned patient handling tasks using work practice controls: setting bed height at correct level; applying anti
Location
James A. Haley VA Hospital
Tampa
Florida
United States
33637-1022
Status
Completed
Source
Department of Veterans Affairs
Results (where available)
Links
- Source: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00012844
- Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on July 15, 2010
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Lifting
Moving or bringing something from a lower level to a higher one. The concept encompasses biomechanic stresses resulting from work done in transferring objects from one plane to another as well as the effects of varying techniques of patient handling and transfer.
Medication Systems, Hospital
Overall systems, traditional or automated, to provide medication to patients in hospitals. Elements of the system are: handling the physician's order, transcription of the order by nurse and/or pharmacist, filling the medication order, transfer to the nursing unit, and administration to the patient.
Right To Die
The right of the patient or the patient's representative to make decisions with regard to the patient's dying.
Patient Rights
Fundamental claims of patients, as expressed in statutes, declarations, or generally accepted moral principles. (Bioethics Thesaurus) The term is used for discussions of patient rights as a group of many rights, as in a hospital's posting of a list of patient rights.
Truth Disclosure
Truthful revealing of information, specifically when the information disclosed is likely to be psychologically painful ("bad news") to the recipient (e.g., revelation to a patient or a patient's family of the patient's diagnosis or prognosis) or embarrassing to the teller (e.g., revelation of medical errors).
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