Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Brooke Odle, Engineering
Document Type
Poster
Event Date
4-12-2024
Abstract
Nurses are specifically at risk of low back pain and injury, which has been associated with the performance of daily tasks involving repositioning and handling patients in awkward postures. We recently conducted a proof of concept study to understand multi-joint coordination of the trunk, hips, and knees during the performance of several patient-handling tasks. While interpreting that data, we noted a difference in performance of shorter subjects versus taller subjects. In this study, we present a secondary analysis of that data that explores the relationship of the movement strategies selected during tasks (based on trunk, hip, and knee joint coordination) and subject height. We hypothesized that the movement strategy elicited by shorter subjects would entail more trunk engagement, while the strategy of taller subjects would entail more engagement of the lower limbs The long-term goal of our work is to develop effective training interventions for nursing students and personnel. The results were motivating as a correlation between a person's height and posture was proven. Results suggest that movement strategies to perform patient-handling tasks may vary according to an individual's height in order to prevent injuries. Future work will continue to explore these relationships as well as develop recommendations for training techniques that vary between heights, all to ensure nurses safety by preventing injuries.
Recommended Citation
Repository citation: Vicente, Regina; Brillinger, Elsa; and Song, Yea Geon, "The Relationship between an Individual's Height and the Movement Strategies Implemented to Perform Manual Patient-Handling Tasks" (2024). 23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024). Paper 87.
https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/curca_23/87
April 12, 2024. Copyright © 2024 Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
Comments
This work was supported by funding from by the RESTORE Center of Stanford University, supported by NICHD of the National Institutes of Health under award number 5P2CHD101913 and by the Hope College Provost’s Office.
Additional authors appear on poster that are not listed in the abstract booklet: Elsa Brillinger and Yea Geon Song.