Ergonomic Evaluation of Hospital Bed Design Features During Patient Handling Tasks

Details

• Personal Author:
  Agnew MJ ; Horton LM ; Mehta RK ; Nussbaum MA
• Description:
  Patient handling tasks (e.g., transportation and repositioning) are important causes of musculoskeletal disorders among healthcare workers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, during two patient handling tasks, the physical demands resulting from alternative hospital bed design features. Twenty-four novice participants were involved in two laboratory-based studies. The effects of a steering lock and adjustable push height were evaluated during a patient transportation task using perceptual responses and measures of performance and physical demands, and the effect of a bed contour feature was determined based on patient sliding distance during repeated bed raising/lowering. Use of the steering lock reduced the number of adjustments during bed maneuvering by 28% and decreased ratings of physical demands. Use of the adjustable push height reduced shoulder moments by 30%. With the contour feature, patient sliding distance was reduced by approximately 40% over 12 raise/lower cycles. These results suggest that the steering lock and adjustable push height features can reduce physical demands placed on healthcare workers during patient transportation tasks. Although patient sliding distance was reduced using the contour feature, assessing direct effects of this feature on physical demands (e.g., reduced need for workers to reposition patients) will require further investigation. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Ergonomics Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Personnel Hospitals Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Hospital Bed Biomechanics Equipment Design Health Care Workers Healthcare Workers Hospital Equipment Medical Equipment MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Patient Handling Physical Demands

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• ISSN:
  0169-8141
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  41
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054019
• Citation:
  Int J Ind Ergon 2011 Nov; 41(6):647-652
• Contact Point Address:
  Maury A. Nussbaum, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, 250 Durham Hall (0118), Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
• Email:
  nussbaum@vt.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010701
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:23a1053416f4d44d2692a7875ba51eca16f8e74bddf010a8984a0d3c8269e0c2c8a646204e687ae034a4c78ad1a94e1241ac6827c076c4c19859618b4e10a8d1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216668/cdc_216668_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 405.93 KB ]