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KMID : 0357220090210030119
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Journal of Korean Society Physical Therapy
2009 Volume.21 No. 3 p.119 ~ p.124
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Application of NIOSH Lifting Equation to Analysis of Workload for Patients Transferring by Physical Therapist: a Case Study
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Lee In-Hee
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Abstract
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Purpose: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lifting equation (NLE) is a useful tool to ergonomically analyze a workload. The NLE has high reliability and it can assess tasks by analyzing the work process. The purpose of this case study was to try using the NLE to analyze the workload of transferring patients by physical therapists in the hospital setting.
Methods: We observed a physical therapist (PT) transferring patients from a wheelchair to a tilt table and a therapeutic table in one day. Two types of patient transferring methods were evaluated; (1) the manual single person method of stand, pivot and transfer, and (2) manual two person lifting under the thigh and grasping the waist for totally dependent patients.
Results: The NIOSH lifting indexes of a person grasping the waist during the manual two person lifting were 5.52~4.48 according to the patient’s weight. The NIOSH lifting indexes were 3.34 and 4.48 for the tasks performed by the manual single person method.
Conclusion: Because transferring patients is not done very frequently, patients transferring tasks by a PT are not included as one of the musculoskeletal disorder related risky work criteria of the Korea Ministry of Labor. But the NIOSH lifting indexes of a person grasping the waist during the manual two person lifting and the manual single person method were over the NIOSH recommended weight limit threshold.
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KEYWORD
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NLE lifting equation, Patients transferring, Physical therapist
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