title: Manual handling practices and injuries among ICU nurses.
abstract: This paper describes manual handling practices and injuries among Intensive Care Units (ICU) nurses working in a large tertiary referral medical centre in Australia. The objectives of this study were to identify patterns of manual handling activities; the incidence, types of injury and body site injured; and establish the consequences of injuries. The rate of manual handling injuries among ICU nurses was unacceptably high (52.2%), as was back injury (71.4% of all injuries). In order to reduce manual handling injuries, employers should provide lifting assistance devices; design workplaces so as to minimise the need for ICU nurses to twist, bend and/or lift items from the floor; introduce regular equipment maintenance procedures; provide adequate staffing to assist with lifting patients; and implement processes that facilitate more detailed statistics on manual handling activities and outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University/Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre, Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Retsas
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pinikahana
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019567:Back Injuries / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003422:Critical Care; D006804:Ergonomics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D017770:Lifting / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016272:Occupational Health; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration; D014187:Transportation of Patients