Upper extremity posture and muscle activity during IV pole interaction.

Area of Science:

• Occupational health
• Biomechanics
• Ergonomics

Background:

• Patient handling activities in healthcare are physically demanding for caregivers.
• Beyond direct patient handling, other tasks like IV pole interaction contribute to caregiver physical strain.
• Understanding the biomechanical impact of IV pole use is crucial for caregiver well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate upper extremity muscle activity and joint kinematics during intravenous (IV) pole interaction.
• To compare the physical demands of using a traditional IV pole versus a redesigned, ergonomically considered pole.
• To identify specific tasks and interactions that contribute most to caregiver physical strain.

Main Methods:

• Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to measure muscle activity in six upper extremity muscles.
• Motion capture technology recorded joint kinematics during IV pole tasks.
• Participants performed two tasks: loading an IV bag and a medical device onto the pole, using both traditional and redesigned poles.

Main Results:

• Cervical extensor muscle activity was significantly higher with the traditional IV pole during the bag loading task (43.29% maximal voluntary exertion) compared to the redesigned pole (28.55% maximal voluntary exertion).
• Peak right shoulder flexion was substantially reduced with the redesigned pole (55.44°) compared to the traditional pole (102.88°).
• These findings indicate a significant reduction in physical exertion and awkward postures with the redesigned pole.

Conclusions:

• Interactions with traditional IV poles impose physical demands comparable to those of manual patient handling transfers.
• The redesigned IV pole effectively reduces shoulder flexion and overhead posture time during IV bag attachment.
• Minimizing physical demands associated with IV pole use can contribute to preventing musculoskeletal disorders among healthcare workers.