Patient transfers and assistive devices: prospective cohort study on the risk for occupational back injury among healthcare workers

Long-term effectiveness of an educational and physical intervention for preventing low-back pain recurrence: a randomized controlled trial

“…Healthcare workers are particularly exposed to LBP biomechanical risk factors such as bending and manual handling of loads and patients (15,16). In France, nurse auxiliaries are the first occupational category exposed to manual handling, with an estimate of 169 000 workers exposed (17).…”

Occupational injuries of teachers and educational staff at special schools with multiple and severely handicapped children in Rhineland‐Palatinate (Germany): results of a cross‐sectional study

“…Tasks requiring heavy physical work, like carrying, lifting, and transferring pupils, for example, are carried out by almost 80% of staff. The 12-month injury prevalence was always higher when participants were involved in some kind of nursing activity (independent of auxiliary equip- 10,13,26) . Furthermore, all nursing tasks require close contact between staff and pupils, making employees vulnerable to sudden unintentional violence or uncontrolled movements by handicapped pupils.…”

“…Regarding major risk factors for the occurrence of occupational injuries in nurses, research almost unanimously regards nursing tasks requiring heavy physical work, such as lifting and transferring of patients 10−13) , as crucial. In this context, the use of assistive devices, e.g., lifters, seems to have a protective effect 10,14) , although conflicting results exist 11,15) . Further risk factors mentioned sporadically include psychological factors such as high levels of stress 9) or depression 16) and workplace characteristics such as working full time (longer exposition) and low professional experience 9) .…”

Study of design factors for transfer-aid equipment based on caregivers’ feelings

“…Various types of transfer-aid equipment have been developed (Nelson et al, 2003c;Krishnan and Pugazhenthi, 2014), and their appropriate use markedly reduces the injury risk (Zhuang et al, 2000; Nelson et al, 2003b;Baptiste et al, 2006;Schoenfisch et al, 2013;Andersen et al, 2014). The most popular type of transfer-aid device is a mechanical lift, which lifts the patient upward from the bed.…”

“…Back injuries caused by personal care or nursing are considered to be a particularly serious problem (Buckle, 1987) and are observed to be closely related to lifting the patients (Bell et al, 1979;Stobbe et al, 1988;Hoogendoorn et al, 1999;Retsas and Pinikahana, 2000). However, back injuries can be effectively prevented by the usage of transfer-aid equipment (Corlett and Corlett, 1992).Various types of transfer-aid equipment have been developed (Nelson et al, 2003c;Krishnan and Pugazhenthi, 2014), and their appropriate use markedly reduces the injury risk (Zhuang et al, 2000; Nelson et al, 2003b;Baptiste et al, 2006;Schoenfisch et al, 2013;Andersen et al, 2014). The most popular type of transfer-aid device is a mechanical lift, which lifts the patient upward from the bed.…”