title: [The assessment of exposure to the risk of the manual lifting of patients and the results of clinical studies in the hospitals of Bolzano and Bressanone].
abstract: A study was made in two hospitals in the province of Bolzano in order to ascertain the possible relationship between risk due to manual lifting of patients and occurrence of back disorders in healthcare workers. Risk analysis was carried out in 16 wards, with 207 workers assessed by means of clinical/anamnestic check-up of the spine. In the majority of the wards analysed the index of exposure to patient lifting was average or high due mainly to the lack of equipment, unsatisfactory structures and furnishings, and organizational factors. This was particularly evident in the Bressanone hospital where there were fewer workers to each department. As regards the clinical assessment of the spine, from the overall analysis of the results it was seen that in the hospital in Bressanone the prevalence of degenerative disorders of the lumbosacral region of the spine was 3.9% and in the Bolzano hospital it was 5.7%. Similar differences were observed in the prevalences of episodes of acute low back pain reported in the previous 12 months: Bressanone 7.7%, Bolzano 3.8%. In both hospitals 3rd grade SAP was diagnosed in about 5% of the subjects examined and globally clinical/functional alterations of the lumbar spine were observed in 20% of the Bressanone workers and in 27.2% of the Bolzano workers. Management of the cases judged unfit for manual lifting of patients was particularly difficult because of the high percentage of such cases (8-9%). On the basis of these results, the administrations of both hospitals undertook a series of short-, medium- and long-term interventions in order to reduce the risk for the spine.
authors.affiliation: Servizio Multizonale di Medicina del Lavoro, Azienda Speciale USL Centro-Sud Bolzano.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bonatti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Merseburger
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bombana
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gisser
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paternoster
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D017770:Lifting / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology
vernacular_title: Valutazione dell'esposizione al rischio da movimentazione manuale pazienti e risultati dell'indagine clinica negli ospedali di Bolzano e di Bressanone.