Self-evaluation of biomechanical task demands, work environment and perceived risk of injury by nurses: A field study

Issue title: Biomechanical Considerations in Ergonomics

Guest editors: Krystyna Gielo-Perczak

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Karwowski, Waldemar^{a; *} | Jang, Ren-Liu^a | Rodrick, David^a | Quesada, Peter M.^b | Cronin, Sherill N.^c

Affiliations: [a] Center for Industrial Ergonomics, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA | [b] Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA | [c] Lansing School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY 40205, USA | Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA, 01748, USA. Tel.: +1 508 497 0218; Fax: +1 508 435 0482; E-mail: Krystyna.Gielo-Perczak@libertymutual.com

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Dr. Waldemar Karwowski, Center for Industrial Ergonomics, Lutz Hall Room 445, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA. Tel.: +1 502 852 7173; Fax: +1 502 852 7397; E-mail: karwowski@louisville.edu

Abstract: A field study was conducted to determine how nurses regard their working environment in terms of perceived physical (biomechanical) tasks demands, work ability requirements, perceived effort, risk of injury/illness, and assessment of working conditions (physical environment). Twenty-one participants (7 registered nurses and 14 nurse assistants), currently working at a southern United States hospital in a mid-size metropolitan city, participated in this study. The study classified two hundred nursing activities into 18 task categories. A comprehensive questionnaire for subjective evaluation of work environment was applied. A multiple stepwise regression modeling technique was then used to investigate plausible relationships between several dependent variables based on the questionnaire outcomes and the perceived nursing task demands (independent variables). The dependent variables included the following: 1) reported low back discomfort (RLBD), 2) perceived muscular effort (PME), 3) perceived risk of musculoskeletal injury/illness (PRMII), 4) dissatisfaction with the perceived comfort of working conditions (DWC), and 5) dissatisfaction with the perceived safety and health of working conditions (PSHWC). The results revealed that working with fixed lower back postures was the significant predictor for PME (R2 = 0.55), PRMII (R2 = 0.475), and PSHWC (R2 = 0.519). In addition, the study found that walking and working with fixed lower back positions were significant predictors for DWC (R2 = 0.525). Furthermore, the perceived demand for lifting, lowering, and carrying heavy objects during a working day was the significant predictor for RLBD (R2 = 0.611).

Keywords: nursing, work environment, physical exertion, biomechanical tasks demands, perceived risk of musculoskeletal injury

DOI: 10.3233/OER-2005-5103

Journal: Occupational Ergonomics, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 13-27, 2005