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Save your back! Proper body mechanics for nurses

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Save your back! Proper body mechanics for nurses

We know that nursing takes work – mentally, emotionally and physically – but did you already know that musculoskeletal injuries in health care professions are amongst probably the most common of all industries within the U.S.? Both American Nurses Association AND National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) work to create a secure environment for nurses using Safe Patient Handling and Mobility (SPHM) programs and supports.

Safe patient handling and mobility

Standardized mobility protocols and guidelines from SPHM programs include prioritizing the use of accessible equipment over manual patient transfers. If possible, use walking aids (equivalent to walking belts with handles, canes, walkers, or crutches), transfer devices (equivalent to slide boards or friction-reducing sheets), manual standing aids, chairs or shower benches, and elevated toilet seats or alternative chests of drawers. When possible, powered equipment also needs to be used, equivalent to height-adjustable beds and stretchers, bed-wheelchair transfer systems, ceiling-mounted elevators, portable floor lifts, and air-assisted inflatable transfer systems (Beauvais and Frost, 2014; Dickinson et al . al., 2018).

Proper body mechanics

Even when using equipment – and particularly if you could move a patient without equipment – it is vital to make use of proper body mechanics to cut back the danger of injury. Here are some suggestions to maintain you secure:
  1. Place your feet on a solid, wide base.
  2. Keep your head straight and roll your shoulders back.
  3. Keep the patient near the body to attenuate the forces acting on him.
  4. Bend your knees and use the momentum of your legs (not your back) to maneuver or lift the patient.
  5. Don’t twist; rotate as an alternative.
  6. Pay attention to your limitations; Don’t attempt to do greater than you may handle.
  7. Collaborate along with your colleagues, including those in other disciplines equivalent to physiotherapy.

What else are you able to do?

Take your individual advice and follow the recommendation we often give patients: eat well, rest, exercise and maintain a healthy weight. Also put money into shoes which might be comfortable and cushion well.

Back pain and injuries may be debilitating, so benefit from the equipment and programs available at your facility and, if needed, engage in developing programs to maintain you, your colleagues and your patients secure.

Bayada. (2016, September 16). 6 nurse-approved ways to guard your back at work. https://blog.bayada.com/work-life/6-nurse-approved-ways-to-protect-your-back-on-the-job

Beauvais, A., and Frost, L. (2014). We save our backs: secure patient service and mobility in home care. (7), 430–436. https://doi.org/10.1097/NHH.0000000000000110

Dickinson, S., Taylor, S., and Anton, P. (2018). Integration of normal mobility program and secure patient management. (3), 240–252. https://doi.org/10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000202

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