Biomechanical Evaluation of Assistive Devices for Transferring Residents

Details

• Personal Author:
  Collins JW ; Hobbs GR ; Hsiao H ; Stobbe, Terrence J. ; Zhuang Z
• Description:
  This is the first of two articles to report a biomechanical evaluation and psychophysical assessment of nine battery-powered lifts, a sliding board, a walking belt, and a baseline manual method for transferring nursing home residents from a bed to a chair. The objectives of the biomechanical evaluation were: (1) to investigate the effects of transfer method and resident weight on the biomechanical stress to nursing assistants performing the transferring task, and (2) to identify resident-transferring methods that could reduce the biomechanical stress to the nursing assistants. Nine nursing assistants served as test subjects; two elderly persons participated as residents. A four-camera motion analysis system, two force platforms, and a three-dimensional biomechanical model were used to measure biomechanical load. The results indicate that transfer method and resident weight affect a nursing assistant's low-back loading. The basket-sling and overhead lift devices significantly reduced the nursing assistants' back-compressive forces during the preparation phase of a resident transfer. In addition, the use of basket-sling, overhead, and stand-up lifts removed about two-thirds of the exposure to low-back stress (lifting activities per transfer) as compared to the baseline manual method. Thus, the use of these devices reduces biomechanical stress, and thereby will decrease the occurrence of resident-handling-related low-back injuries. Furthermore, lifting device maneuvering forces were found to be significantly different and a number of design/use problems were identified with various assistive devices. The second article will detail the psychophysical assessment of the same resident-transferring methods. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Engineering Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Personnel Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Patient-handling Devices Back-injuries Back Injury Biomechanical Evaluation Biomechanics Control-technology Engineering-controls Health-care Health-care-facilities Health-care-personnel Injuries Models Nursing

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• ISSN:
  0003-6870
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  285-294
• Volume:
  30
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20025307
• Citation:
  Appl Ergon 1999 Aug; 30(4):285-294
• Contact Point Address:
  Ziqing Zhuang, US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1999
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Ergonomics
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c8808c6ce0cb38768223c4c3f099fef0053b9921e9fbf2ab9d3565359c34d8fbb74d58469ab89804be7720e6a999f7ba41e696045cd4e527d9ba053e829705c1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/196744/cdc_196744_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 967.89 KB ]