Development and Feasibility Testing of a Contextual Patient Movement Intervention

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Biomechanics
• Ergonomics

Background:

• Nurses and emergency medical services (EMS) workers experience high rates of musculoskeletal injuries, particularly lumbar spine injuries.
• These injuries pose a significant risk to healthcare professionals and impact workforce sustainability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and conduct phase 1 feasibility testing of a contextual lifting intervention.
• The intervention aims to reduce the risk of low back injury in healthcare workers.

Main Methods:

• Intervention based on weightlifting techniques to mitigate valgus knee, asymmetrical lifting, and trunk/pelvis rotation.
• Motion capture technology used with 17 nursing students performing various patient handling tasks.
• Pre- and post-intervention data analyzed using linear mixed model regression.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in lifting techniques observed post-intervention.
• The maximum lever arm distance (L5-S1 to load center) was significantly reduced in 3 of 4 tested movements.
• Intervention demonstrated feasibility and potential for reducing biomechanical risk factors.

Conclusions:

• Contextual training methods can effectively reduce injury risk in patient handling.
• The developed intervention shows promise for preventing lumbar spine injuries in high-risk occupations.