Zhuang Z, Stobbe TJ, Hsiao H, Collins JW, Hobbs GR, et al.
Applied ergonomics. Date of publication 1999 Aug 1;volume 30(4):285-94.
1. Appl Ergon. 1999 Aug;30(4):285-94. doi: 10.1016/s0003-6870(98)00035-0.
Biomechanical evaluation of assistive devices for transferring residents.
Zhuang Z(1), Stobbe TJ, Hsiao H, Collins JW, Hobbs GR.
Author information:
(1)US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA.
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.
DOI: 10.1016/s0003-6870(98)00035-0
PMID: 10416841 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
