Nurse perceptions of manual patient transfer training: implications for injury

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of student and staff nurses regarding training they received and their confidence in performing a variety of common manual patient transfers (MPTs), given that inadequate training may have implications for injury risk.

Student nurses (n=163) from a mid-sized university and staff nurses (n=33) from a small rural hospital in the university's region.

Participants were surveyed to determine which of 19 MPTs they perceived having received training for and had greatest confidence performing.

The staff nurses perceived being trained on four MPTs; the same four they indicated they had the greatest confidence performing. However, nursing students were not trained on these MPTs at the local university, indicating an apparent disconnect in training practices between the academic institution and the workplace.

It is suggested that a participatory ergonomics training approach may help to provide student nurses more opportunity to practice MPTs and help all nurses reduce work-related musculoskeletal injury risk and increase job satisfaction. Increased training time may also allow student nurses to gain greater mastery and confidence of skills prior to full-time employment.