Save Your Back: Comparison of the Compressive Force on the Lower Back Based on Differences in the Training Techniques

Area of Science:

• Occupational health and safety
• Biomechanics
• Nursing practice

Background:

• Musculoskeletal injury prevention in nursing is crucial, especially in emergency departments (EDs).
• Manual patient handling, including repositioning, remains a necessity in EDs despite injury prevention goals.
• Existing lifting techniques may not fully mitigate risks during patient transfers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare estimated lumbar spine compressive forces between recommended lifting techniques and the SHAPE lifting method.
• To evaluate the biomechanical impact of the SHAPE lifting method during horizontal patient transfers.
• To identify safer lifting strategies for nurses in emergency settings.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one student nurses participated in simulated horizontal patient transfers.
• Motion capture technology (inertial measurement units) was used to collect movement data.
• Lumbar spine compressive forces were calculated based on collected motion data for different lifting techniques.

Main Results:

• The SHAPE lifting method resulted in a statistically significant reduction in estimated peak lumbar spine compressive forces (P < .001).
• A significant decrease in average lumbar spine compressive forces was observed during both push and pull phases of the transfer (P < .001).
• The SHAPE method demonstrated biomechanical advantages over recommended lifting techniques.

Conclusions:

• Eliminating manual patient handling is ideal but not always feasible in EDs.
• When manual repositioning is required, nurses should use biomechanically sound methods with friction reduction.
• The SHAPE lifting intervention shows promise as a safer strategy for emergency nurses, reducing injury risk.