Physical exposure during patient transfer and risk of back injury & low-back pain: prospective cohort study
- PDF / 368,683 Bytes
- 8 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 76 Downloads / 153 Views
(2020) 21:715
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Physical exposure during patient transfer and risk of back injury & low-back pain: prospective cohort study Jonas Vinstrup1,2* , Markus D. Jakobsen1, Pascal Madeleine2 and Lars L. Andersen1,2
Abstract Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common among healthcare workers. Because frequent patient transfer has been associated with increased risk of MSDs, we aim to quantify the physical load associated with commonly-used assistive devices and to investigate associations between accumulated physical exposure and risk of MSDs. Methods: By applying an exposure matrix based on objective measurements of electromyography and trunk flexion on a large (n = 1285) prospective cohort, intensity of low-back pain (LBP) and odds of back injury at 1-year follow-up were modelled using linear models and logistic regressions, respectively. The cohort was divided into groups according to physical exposure; i.e. low (1st quartile), moderate (2nd and 3rd quartiles) and high (4th quartile) exposure. Results: Exposure profiles are provided for 9 groups of assistive devices, with ceiling lifts and intelligent beds eliciting the lowest physical exposure. In the fully-adjusted model, we report differences in LBP intensity at follow-up between the low and moderate exposure groups (p = 0.0085). No difference was found between the moderate and high exposure groups (p = 0.2967). Likewise, we find no associations between physical exposure and odds of back injury at 1year follow-up, with a prevalence of 11, 13 and 11% for the three groups, respectively. Conclusions: Low physical exposure during patient transfer was prospectively associated with lower intensity of LBP. Consistent use of assistive devices associated with low physical exposure, namely ceiling-lifts and intelligent beds, may play a role in reducing the incidence of MSDs among healthcare workers. Keywords: Patient transfer, Biomechanical load, Low-back pain, Back injury, Healthcare
Background Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are more frequently reported among healthcare workers compared to other professions [1–4], and 37% of Danish healthcare workers report being hindered in their profession because of pain [5]. Low-back pain (LBP) is the most commonly-cited musculoskeletal complaint among this subgroup of the working population, with a 1-year * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, DK, Denmark 2 Sport Sciences – Performance and Technology, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
prevalence ranging between 28 and 96% [1, 6, 7]. In addition to the individual burden of LBP [8], the socioeconomic costs – e.g. sickness absence and loss of productivity – are likewise alarmingly high [9–11], making the current situation in the healthcare industry a societal issue with far-reaching implications. The severity of the situation is furthermore highlighted by the current global shortage of n
Data Loading...
