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Changing the sheets: a new system to reduce strain during patient repositioning
Olga Theou1, Zoe Soon, Sue Filek
1Faculty of Health and Social Development, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
Nursing Research
|August 30, 2011
Summary
Using low-friction slider sheets significantly reduces the physical and perceived effort for healthcare providers when repositioning patients. This innovation can help lower the risk of musculoskeletal injuries in healthcare settings.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare ergonomics
- Patient handling equipment
- Musculoskeletal disorder prevention
Background:
- Manual patient repositioning poses a significant risk of injury to healthcare providers.
- Low-friction bedsheets offer a potential solution to mitigate these risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare a novel slider sheet system with traditional hospital bedsheets.
- To evaluate differences in physical properties and physiological muscle activity during patient repositioning.
Main Methods:
- Surface electromyography (sEMG) measured muscle activity in arm and shoulder muscles of five healthcare providers.
- The Borg Scale assessed perceived exertion during patient repositioning tasks.
- Coefficient of friction was determined to quantify resistive characteristics of the bedsheets.
Main Results:
- Traditional sheets showed 16% higher sEMG burst numbers and 11% longer duration compared to slider sheets.
- Perceived exertion was more than double when using traditional sheets versus slider sheets.
- The coefficient of friction was 65% lower for the slider sheet system.
Conclusions:
- Low-friction slider systems substantially decrease muscular and perceived effort in patient repositioning.
- Implementing slider sheets may effectively reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal strain and injuries among healthcare professionals.
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