Safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM) for increasingly bariatric patient populations: Factors related to caregivers' self-reported pain and injury

Support Provided by Caregivers for Community-Dwelling Obesity Individuals: Focus on Elderly and Hispanics

Obesity is a chronic disease marked by the buildup of extra adipose tissue and a higher chance of developing concomitant illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some malignancies. Over the past few decades, there has been a global increase in the prevalence of obesity, which now affects around one-third of the world's population. According to recent studies, a variety of factors, including genetics and biology as well as environmental, physiological, and psychosocial factors, may have a role in the development of obesity. The prevalence of obesity is often higher among Hispanic American groups than among White people in the U.S. Obesity is a widespread condition with a high risk of morbidity and death, and it is well-recognized that the prevalence of comorbidities rises with rising levels of obesity or body mass index. To combat the rising prevalence of obesity in the USA, especially among Hispanics, one of the fastest-growing racial/ethnic groups in the country, there is an urgent need for obesity therapies. The exact cause of this disparity is unclear, but some responsible factors are a lack of education, high unemployment rates, high levels of food insecurity, an unhealthy diet, inadequate access to physical activity resources, a lack of health insurance, and constricted access to culturally adequate healthcare. Additionally, managing obesity and giving needed/timely support to obese people is a difficult responsibility for medical professionals and their loved ones. The need for caregivers is increasing with the increased number of individuals with obesity, particularly Hispanics. Our article summarizes the status of obesity, focusing on Hispanic populations, and we also highlight specific factors that contribute to obesity, including genetics, epigenetics, biological, physiological, and psychosocial factors, medication and disease, environment, and socio-demographics. This article also reviews caregiver duties and challenges associated with caring for people with obesity.

Evaluation of MSOT students' didactic knowledge and practice vs. real-time performance in manual patient transfers

BACKGROUND

Due to the nature of its occupations, the healthcare industry recognizes that manually lifting, transferring, and handling patients are high-risk activities and leading factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Research studies highlight that students are not receiving adequate training in manual patient transfer.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to examine the procedural knowledge in patient transfer of second-year Master of Science in Occupational Therapy students and their practical skills in performing a manual patient transfer.

METHODS

This observational, cross-sectional study included 23 occupational therapy students. Students completed the transfer technique knowledge assessment and subsequently performed a real-time manual patient transfer.

RESULTS

No significant association was found between the participants' knowledge and performance in MPT (x2(2) = 0.578, p = 0.749). All students scored highly on the knowledge assessment (μ= 9.3, SD =±1.02); however, the performance on real-time manual patient transfer was moderate (μ= 11.57, SD =±3.37) for the majority of students.

CONCLUSION

A gap exists between the results of students' knowledge and practice versus real-time performance in manual patient transfer. The practical training students receive on manual patient transfers in the academic setting may not equip them with the necessary skills and techniques to perform safe transfers.

Effects of a Family Caregiver Care Programme in Musculoskeletal Pain and Disability in the Shoulder-Neck Region-A Randomised Clinical Trial

Life expectancy in Spain has increased and older people need more health care to improve their quality of life. The high demands of the population sometimes collapse health services, making them insufficient to cover their needs, which leads to the development of “non-professional caregivers”. These caregivers have suffered musculoskeletal injuries of the cervical spine and shoulders and should be guided and assessed on ergonomics, biomechanics, or kinesiotherapy. However, there are no interventions to help them care for themselves. This study presents the application of a physical exercise programme to prevent these disorders in women caregivers of dependent patients. It consists of a randomised controlled clinical trial with two groups: both received a family caregiver care programme, and the intervention group also received a physical therapeutic exercise programme for 12 weeks. A total of 62 caregivers completed the study, who were mostly daughters or wives of dependents. Of these, 70.97% presented a “moderate” pain intensity and a cervical disability of 13.72 ± 7.64 points in the NDI questionnaire in the initial evaluation. In the intervention group of caregivers, there was a significant decrease in the pain intensity and a significant increase (p < 0.05) in all cervical joint amplitude movements. Caregivers present a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. The physical exercise programme was effective in reducing the intensity of pain, lumbar disability, and cervical disability of the family caregivers.

Critical review on applications and roles of exoskeletons in patient handling

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) remain a major concern for workers in the healthcare industry. Healthcare workers are at high risk of work-related MSDs mainly caused by overexertion from manually handling patients. Exoskeletons may be a useful tool to help reduce the risk of MSDs during patient handling. As a review study, we surveyed articles focusing on applying exoskeletons to patient handling tasks specifically. We also reviewed relevant government databases and other studies related to Safe Patient Handling and Mobility (SPHM) programs and exoskeleton applications in general. The exoskeletons specifically designed for patient handling were found to be sparse. To have a better understanding of the needs and challenges of developing and using exoskeletons for reducing risks of work-related MSDs in healthcare workers during patient handling, this critical review (1) provided an overview of the existing issues and projected future burdens related to work-related MSDs during patient handling tasks, (2) recognized current and potential roles and applications of existing exoskeletons, and (3) identified challenges and needs for future exoskeleton products. In conclusion, we do not expect exoskeletons to replace the existing SPHM programs, but rather play a complementary role to these multi-pronged programs. We expect that emerging exoskeleton products can be introduced to uncontrolled or specialized healthcare environments. There are various expectations and requirements for an exoskeleton used in different healthcare settings. Additionally, introducing certain types of exoskeletons for patients to assist them during treatment and rehabilitation may help reduce the MSD risks to the healthcare workers.