Differences in Nurses’ Upper-Body Posture in Manual Patient Handling—A Qualitative Case Study
Source abstract
Abstract
(1) Background: In the context of nursing challenges and workforce shortages, nurses experience significant physical and psychological strain due to manual patient handling. (2) Methods: This study investigates differences in nurses’ upper body postures, patient turning acceleration, and perceived exertion during a typical repositioning process within two repositioning maneuvers. (3) Results: The results reveal variations in positioning duration, upper-body posture angles, and turning acceleration between nurses and sequences. Nurse 2 exhibits more extreme postures (e.g., lateral flexion p < 0.001) and accelerations (e.g., shoulder p < 0.001) but reports lower perceived exertion (p = 0.03). (4) Discussion: These findings emphasize the need for ergonomic adherence and targeted training to enhance patient repositioning. Comprehensive solutions are necessary for patient and nurse comfort, particularly in cases of higher patient weights. Against the background of ergonomic body posture, this study highlights the potential of innovative tools and ongoing research to alleviate physical strain and enhance patient care.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation · Occupational health in dentistry · Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Department of Human Movement Science, University of Hamburg, 20148 Hamburg, Germany
ExoIQ GmbH, 21109 Hamburg, Germany
Funding
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
References (51)
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