User evaluation of handling equipment for moving dependent people in bed

Abstract

Reducing back injury in health care workers is important, and the use of non-mechanical handling devices is recommended as one method of reducing risk of injury when manual handling is unavoidable. A user evaluation of 15 non-mechanical devices designed to help carers move dependent people (people who require assistance with transfers) in bed was conducted by the Medical Devices Agency, an Executive Agency of the Department of Health, UK. Sixty volunteer carers in hospitals, nursing homes and the community were randomly allocated to test devices in one of four groups: sliding sheets, short low friction rollers, long low friction rollers, miscellaneous handling devices. Opinions of the products were collected using questionnaires. The short low friction rollers were rated highest for perceived overall usefulness (75%) Envisaged use was appreciably lower than perceived usefulness. Several factors may account for this, and carers commented on the time taken to position the devices and the comfort for the dependent person. Such factors need to be addressed when training people in the use of such devices, to improve usage.