The Importance of Proper Body Mechanics for Nurses - Research Paper Example

?The Importance of Proper Body Mechanics for Nurses.    Submitted Mike Waggoner Fundamentals By: Sumon Joyner d: 5/15/11 The Importance of Proper Body Mechanics for Nurses Nurses are an integral part of the healthcare workforce and play a pivotal role in ensuring the optimal delivery of health care services to the patients. The importance of nurses as health care professionals can be best summed up in the words of William Osler who sates that “The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings of humanity, taking a place besides the physicians and the priest, and not inferior to either in her mission (Joseph, 2008, p. 1).” In fulfilling their role and performing the services expected of them, which often involve patient handling maneuvers such as repositioning, lifting and transferring patients, nurses often sustain a spectrum of occupational injuries (The American Nurses Association (ANA), 2011). These occupational injuries amongst health care professionals are fairly common and are a cause of great concern not only for the individuals suffering from these injuries but also for the health care system as a whole, since these problems have significant economic implications in the form of work loss, compensations and recruitment and retention issues (Menzel, Hughes, Waters, Shores, & Nelson, 2007). This paper throws light on the different occupational injuries that are common amongst health care professionals due to manual patient handling and discusses their implications for the nurses and the health care system. Moreover, the main focus of this paper is on the importance of the use of proper body mechanics as a measure for the prevention of the aforementioned occupational injuries in order to reduce the incidence of these injuries and of the potential adverse outcomes that can occur as a result of these injuries. The scope of the problem: Manual patient handling is an essential component of the services that nurses perform and there is virtually no patient care specialty which does not require these services. This means that nurses are always at a risk of sustaining musculoskeletal work-related injuries, be they employed in any patient care specialty (Menzel, Hughes, Waters, Shores, & Nelson, 2007). Moreover, with the increasing prevalence of obesity in the society, the risk to health care professionals is even more due to the greater amount of weight being handled, because a greater proportion of the patients presenting to them are now overweight or obese (Menzel, Hughes, Waters, Shores, & Nelson, 2007). These work-related injuries have several implications both for the nurses and other health care professionals but also for the health care system as a whole since they are not only a cause of significant morbidity for individuals suffering from them, but also pose an economic burden since they incur losses in the form of time off from work, burnout and recruitment and retention (Menzel, Hughes, Waters, Shores, & Nelson, 2007). It has been seen that each year, about 40-50% of nurses report having work-related back pain, making them rank the highest amongst all health care professional suffering from work-related injuries (Edlich, Winters, Hudson, Britt, & Long, 2004). Nurses have been found to have a 35-80% lifetime prevalence of back pain occurring as a result of the nature of their job which often requires manual patient handling (Edlich, Winters, Hudson, Britt, & Long, 2004) and approximately 12% of the nurses have been found to quit their jobs and give up their profession due to back injuries (Gropelli & Corle, 2010). Moreover, according to a report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics RN’s rank the 6th amongst professionals at risk of occupational injuries (The American Nurses Association (ANA), 2011). On the other hand, from an economic perspective the magnitude of the burden that this problem of occupational injuries posed on the health care system can be gauged from the fact that nursing personnel have been found to have the highest claim rates of from amongst all occupations or industry. (The American Nurses Association (ANA), 2011). These statistics underscore the fact that nurses are highly predisposed to sustaining occupational musculoskeletal injuries and thus there is a pressing need to devise measures to prevent the occurrence of such injuries amongst nurses. Measures to prevent occupational injuries amongst Nurses: Several interventions have been proposed to decrease the incidence of injuries related to manual handling of the patients, including and not limited to, the use of proper body mechanics, adhering to recommended weight limits and the use of mechanical lifting equipment to facilitate patient lifting and transfers (The American Nurses Association (ANA), 2011). In addition, due to the significant impact of work related musculoskeletal disorders on the health care system, several states have taken measures to reduce the occurrence of such injuries amongst health care professionals. Some of the pioneer states which have passed legislations and implemented programs to reduce the incidence of occupational injuries amongst health care professionals, in particular nurses, include Rhode Island, Texas and Washington (Menzel, Hughes, Waters, Shores, & Nelson, 2007). Moreover, another important aspect in the prevention of occupational injuries amongst health care professionals is to educate the health care professionals regarding the risks that they are faced with and teaching them methods and strategies to avoid the occurrence of occupational injuries amongst them. Studies have revealed that the implementation of strategies such as educating the individuals involved in strenuous work and at a risk of sustaining work-related back injuries regarding the use of proper body mechanics and suitable lifting techniques can help in the reduction of recurring low back pain (Berrios, Cadiz, Velez, Venegas, & Ortiz, 2009). Body Mechanics: The term Body Mechanics is literally defined as “The utilization of correct muscles to complete a task safely and efficiently, without undue strain on any muscle or joint (Brookside Associates Medical Education Division , 2007).” In the context of nursing, proper body mechanics refers to techniques and practices that were designed in order to aid the nurses in avoiding undue physical stresses that they might encounter during the handling of patients such as during lifting, repositioning and transfer (The American Nurses Association (ANA), 2011). The use of proper body mechanics is one of the oldest techniques devised to prevent the occurrence of musculoskeletal problems amongst health care professionals. It has been elucidated via several studies focused on determining factors contributing towards the risk of occupational injuries amongst nurses, that lifting and use of forceful movements while handling patients are the two tasks which are most commonly associated with the occurrence of low back pain (The American Nurses Association (ANA), 2011). Practices such as the use of proper body mechanics were thus designed to prevent the occurrence of musculoskeletal injuries amongst health care professionals during the performance of strenuous tasks such as manual patient handling. The use of proper body mechanics involves some fundamental principles which help in adapting a proper posture and use of appropriate musculature during the performance of different tasks to reduce the stress on one’s body. These principles include the maintenance of a low and stable center of gravity with the help of simple practices such as knee and hip flexion, use of a wide base by keeping one’s feet apart, keeping ones back straight to maintain the line of gravity and proper body alignment (Brookside Associates Medical Education Division , 2007). It has been found that the aforementioned practices help in preventing undue strain on any particular muscle or joint, thus helping in reducing the risk of musculoskeletal injuries (Brookside Associates Medical Education Division , 2007). Literature shows that some of the practices that employ safe body mechanics include: the use of lifts to facilitate patient repositioning and transfers, bed elevation to a suitable height to avoid inappropriate strain on the back musculature due to excessive bending and the use of appropriately designed procedural fields to avoid inappropriate twisting (Gropelli & Corle, 2010). All these practices have been devised with the aim of reducing undue strain on any joints or muscles of health care professionals to prevent musculoskeletal injuries such as back and shoulder injuries. According to the recent guidelines proposed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the upper weight limit for manual patient lifting is 35-pounds, and the use of engineering controls such as mechanical lifts is recommended for handling of weights beyond the prescribed limit (Waters, 2007). Although current guidelines emphasize the use of mechanical lift systems and other engineering controls for patient handling, it is important to remember that there are several aspects of patient care during with manual patient handling is inevitable and during the performance of such tasks, it is of foremost importance to undertake preventive measures such as the use of proper body mechanics to prevent the occurrence of injuries (Lee, Faucett, Gillen, Krause, & Landry, 2010). The role of proper body mechanics: There are conflicting views regarding the effectiveness of use of proper body mechanics in the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal injuries. While some schools of thought advocate the implementation of programs for training and education regarding the use of proper body mechanics for health care professionals while dealing with their patients, others believe that such practices are ineffective in reducing the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries. Studies have revealed that for loads exceeding the maximum recommended limit of 51 lb, the use of proper body mechanics was not effective in preventing injuries (Menzel, Hughes, Waters, Shores, & Nelson, 2007). This underscores the importance using a multidisciplinary approach to prevent occupational injuries such as adhering to recommended weight limits while handling patients in addition to the use of proper body mechanics and the concurrent use of patient lift systems. Conclusion: Nurses are an integral part of the healthcare workforce and play a pivotal role in ensuring the optimal delivery of health care services to the patients. It is oft observed that during the delivery of health-care related services to their patients, nurses themselves sustain several different kinds of occupational injuries, the most common amongst which are musculoskeletal injuries such as back and shoulder injuries. In order to prevent the occurrence of such injuries several measures have been devised, including and not limited to, the use of proper body mechanics, adhering to prescribed weight limits and the use of engineering controls such as patient lift systems to aid the handling of patients. As nursing students and thus future nurses, t is important for us to have knowledge regarding these principles and practices and adhering to them during the provision of health care services to patients, as they help in reducing the occurrence of injuries amongst health care professionals including nurses. Since these injuries are a major cause of disability, work loss and early resignation from one’s profession and there is already an existing acute shortage of nursing professionals in the society, it is important to prevent the occurrence of work-related injuries amongst nurses to avoid the occurrence of the adverse outcomes related with them. References Berrios, Y., Cadiz, J., Velez, Y., Venegas, H. L., & Ortiz, A. (2009). Effectiveness of a Back School Program in the Application of Body Mechanics Principles. PRHSJ , 48-53. Brookside Associates Medical Education Division . (2007). Body Mechanics. Retrieved May 15, 2011, from Nursing Fundamentals: http://www.brooksidepress.org/Products/Nursing_Fundamentals_1/lesson_4_Section_1.htm Edlich, R. F., Winters, K. L., Hudson, M. A., Britt, L. D., & Long, W. B. (2004). Prevention of Disabling Back Injuries in Nurses by the Use of Mechanical Patient Lift Systems. Journal of long term effects of medical implants . Gropelli, T., & Corle, K. (2010). Nurses' and therapists experiences with occupational musculoskeletal injuries. Journal of American Association of Occupational Health Nurses , 159-166. Joseph, J. K. (2008). A descriptive study to assess the factors influencing back injuries among nurses in a selected hospital, Mangalore; in view to develop an educational module. Medical Surgical Nursing . Lee, S.-J., Faucett, J., Gillen, M., Krause, N., & Landry, L. (2010). Factors Associated With Safe Patient Handling Behaviors Among Critical Care Nurses. American Journal of Industrial Medicine , 886–897. Menzel, N. N., Hughes, N. L., Waters, T., Shores, L. S., & Nelson, A. (2007). Preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders in Nurses: A Safe Patient Handling Curriculum Module for Nursing Schools. Nurse Educator , 130-135. The American Nurses Association (ANA). (2011). Handle With Care Fact Sheet. Retrieved May 15, 2011, from The American Nurses Association (ANA): http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/OccupationalandEnvironmental/occupationalhealth/handlewithcare/Resources/FactSheet.aspx Waters, T. R. (2007). When is it safe to manually lift a patient? American Journal of Nursing, 107(8), 53-58. Read More