ABSTRACT
Many patient handling recommendations are based on tradition and personal experience rather than scientific evidence. The purpose of this paper is to summarize current evidence for interventions designed to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) associated with patient han dling. Many commonly used interventions, such as manual patient lifting, classes in body mechanics, training in safe lifting techniques, and back belts have strong evidence that they are NOT effective in reducing caregiver injuries. There is significant evi dence to support use of patient handling technolo gies. There is growing operational support for use of patient care ergonomic assessment protocols, no lift policies, and lift teams, but more research is needed in these areas. Promising new interventions, which are still being tested, include use of unitbased peer leaders and clinical tools, such as algo rithms and patient assessment protocols. Given the complexity of this high-risk, high-volume, highcost problem, multifaceted programs are more likely to be effective than any single intervention. The authors conclude with several recommenda tions to promote safe patient handling and move ment across clinical practice settings. A call for action includes a new curriculum for schools of nursing, legislative initiatives, research translation
tools, and a research agenda for patient care ergonomics.
