The ergonomic benefits of a laterally-tilted operating room table and friction-reducing devices when laterally transferring patients to a stretcher -

Abstract

A commonly performed task among nurses is the lateral transfer of patients from one surface to another, such as an operating room (OR) table, stretcher, and-or hospital bed. This task exposes nurses to substantial biomechanical loads due to the posture adopted and the weight handled during the task. Therefore, this research is proposing and testing an alternative method for performing lateral transfers that is hypothesized to reduce the biomechanical loading on nurses. The objective of this study is to investigate the ergonomic benefits of using a laterally tilting OR table and friction-reducing devices (FRD) during lateral transfer tasks. Sixteen nursing students and sixteen college students, who acted as patients, were recruited for this study. Two table angles were evaluated: a flat OR table and a laterally tilted OR table. During the latter case, the nurse continually tilts the table laterally using a remote control as the patient slides to the adjacent surface with an additional nurse guiding the transfer. At both bed angles, three FRDs were considered: a sliding board, a plastic bag, and a bed sheet. Biomechanical loading of the nurse at the neck, shoulders, and back were be assessed using an electromyography (EMG) device. After each experimental trial, the nurses were asked to rate their perceived level of physical exertion on the Borg-CR10 scale. The efficiency of each method was measured using a stop watch. Preliminary results favored the laterally tilting OR table over the flat OR table, showing a reduction in muscle loading and perceived physical exertion. By using the laterally tilting OR table with FRD, muscle activity was reduced by 70.5percent at the upper trapezius, 53.3percent at the latissimus dorsi, 15.7percent at the lumbar erector spinae, and 48.8percent at the posterior deltoid. The advantage of the proposed method is that: it involves no investment (since OR tables already have the feature to laterally tilt); it reduces biomechanical loading and perceived physical exertion; and it is relatively efficient.