[A multidisciplinary preventive intervention in a large Italian hospital].
BACKGROUND
A multidisciplinary intervention is necessary to tackle the occupational risk of low back disorders in manual handling ofpatients and to evaluate the effectiveness.


METHODS
An intervention was carried out which included risk assessment, testing and purchasing of patient handling devices, training programmes, health surveillance and collection of quantitative and qualitative outcomes to evaluate effectiveness, in a before-after design.


RESULTS
The intervention was effective in reducing exposures, increasing knowledge and skills in patient-handling techniques, decreasing low back pain prevalence and injuries related to patient handling; absenteeism seemed to show a decreasing trend.


CONCLUSIONS
The multidisciplinary approach was useful in the overall management of low back pain in health care workers performing patient handling.
Porru
S
S
Sezione di Medicina del Lavoro ed Igiene Industriale, Università di Brescia, Brescia. porru@med.unibs.it
Carta
Angela
A
Parmigiani
Francesca
F
Oppini
Manuela
M
Parrinello
G
G
Alessio
L
L
D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010348:Patient Care Team