Reducing Musculoskeletal Disorder Among ICU Nurses

32^nd Euro Nursing and Medicare Summit

October 26-28, 2017 | Paris, France

Samah Ishaq Hawsawi

Indian University of Pennsylvania, USA

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

Healthcare service provision is a stressful profession, more so to nurses. Generally, the quality and effectiveness of service provision require high standards, amid tiredness and many working hours, due to constrained resources and a limitation of skillful employees. In this regard, nurses usually go out of their way to provide quality care and sometimes work overtime to restore their patients� health. In the event of their work, they suffer musculoskeletal injuries that are mainly associated with strenuous patient handling activities, such as lifting, repositioning, and mobility from one bed (or section) to another. Notably, some common injuries suffered include back, shoulder, neck, and wrist problems. In spite of the fact that direct care providers are aware of all the risk factors associated with musculoskeletal injuries, such as frequency and duration of activity, posture, and exertion, little has been done to address their plight. Consequently, this project focuses on the implementation of ceiling lifting machines to reduce the risk of injury associated with diverse patient-movement and handling activities. Primarily, the project will focus on reducing musculoskeletal disorders among nurses in the ICU as well as patients. Hopefully, the installation and implementation of lifting equipment will be effective in minimizing injuries, by providing safer patient-handling techniques that cater to both patients� and nurses� safety.