Date Presented 04/05/19
The study examined OT students’ knowledge in ergonomics in reference to manual patient transfer (MPT) and its generalization to the clinical setting. Twenty-three OT students from an MSOT program participated. Participants were observed while performing an MPT to analyze posturing techniques with a standard patient. Findings suggest students had adequate knowledge of MPT technique but demonstrated poor carry-over of knowledge to application and use of ergonomic principles during an MPT.
Primary Author and Speaker: Musaed Alnasar
Additional Authors and Speakers: Lynne Richard
PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to examine occupational therapy students’knowledge in ergonomics in reference to performing a manual patient transfer (MPT) and their ability to transfer that knowledge and skills to a clinical setting.
DESIGN: This was an observational, cross-sectional study. Following IRB approval, MSOT students were recruited from an entry-level MSOT program. Twenty-three MSOT students agreed to participate and signed consent forms. All students were year 2 students in their fifth and last academic semester. All of the participating students had taken an academic course in ergonomics and MPT.
METHOD: The instrument used in this study was adapted from assessments developed by Murphy and Norman (2011) and Potter, Perry, Stockert, and Hall (2013). Section I was a screening tool and demographic questionnaire to gather general information about the study’s participants. The screening questions focused on making sure the participant had no physical concerns that might affect performance or their own health status. Section II includes the transfer technique knowledge assessment to determine students’ current knowledge on proper ergonomic posturing during MPT. Section III includes an observation-based checklist to determine students’ application of knowledge on ergonomic posturing during MPT. Participants completed Section I and Section II and then were asked to complete a MPT with a standard patient (a 26-year-old young man with cerebral palsy). The MPT was video recorded. Two investigators rated the transfer based on observational data in real time and then reviewed the video to validate their ratings.
FINDINGS: Ninety-three percentage of the study’s participants were female (n = 21) and 7% were men (n = 2). The mean age was 28.4, (SD= 7.2). The results of the knowledge assessment (Section II) indicated that 83% of participants answered every question correctly. Topics pertaining directly to MPT in which participants scored the highest included utilization of proper body mechanics (100%), gait belt usage and placement (91%), and the importance of explaining transfer procedures to the client (100%). Topics pertaining directly to MPT in which participants demonstrated the least amount of knowledge included prevention of serious injury to the patient’s arms (87%) and the distance in which a patient (or heavy item) should be in relation to one’s body (87%). Observational data collected during the MPT found that 26% of participants performed a safe patient transfer. Areas in which the participants struggled the most during their performance of a MPT included: utilization of proper body mechanics (26%), utilization of the gait belt during the transfer (61%), preparation of client’s arms through instruction of where to place their arms during the transfer (57%), and inspection of the placement of transfer surfaces in relation to each other (26%). For proper body mechanics, participants demonstrated poor utilization of their legs to lift the patient (26%); poor spinal alignment (35%); lack of flexion in their knees and hips to 90 degrees during the actions of lifting and lowering the patient (30%); and poor positioning of themselves or the patient so that the patient is leveled with the main muscles (i.e. the leg muscles) being utilized in the preparation for the transfer (57%).
CONCLUSION: Students in this study demonstrated difficulty using ergonomic principles during a MPT. OT programs could take a more hands-on approach when it comes to facilitating translation of knowledge for their students from an educational level to clinical practice for a MPT. There is a need to intervene at the educational level to lower the incidence rate of occupational injuries occurring among occupational therapists.
References
Alnaser, M.Z. (2015). Occupational therapy practitioners with occupational musculoskeletal injuries: Prevalence and risk factors. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 25:763-769.
Murphy, C., & Norman, G. (2011). Proper transfer technique for healthcare professionals. National Educational Video Inc. Retrieved from http://fod.infobase.com/HTTP/52800/52850_guide.pdf
Potter, P., Perry, A.G., Stockert, P., Hall, A. (2013). Fundamentals of Nursing, (8th Ed.). New York: Elsevier.
