Assessing Musculoskeletal Injury Risk in Hospital Healthcare Professionals During a Single Daily Patient-Handling Task

Background: Healthcare professionals are at significant risk of musculoskeletal injuries due to the physically demanding nature of patient-handling tasks. While various ergonomic interventions have been introduced to mitigate these risks, comprehensive methods for assessing and addressing musculoskeletal hazards remain limited. Purpose: This study presents a novel approach to evaluating musculoskeletal injury risks among healthcare workers, marking the first instance in which two motion tracking systems are used simultaneously. This dual-system setup enables a more comprehensive and dynamic analysis of worker interactions in real time. Healthcare professionals were divided into three groups to perform patient transfer tasks. Three key poses within the task, associated with peak lumbar forces, were identified and analyzed. Results: The resulting compressive forces on the participants’ lower back ranged from 581.0 N to 3589.1 N, and the Anterior–Posterior (A/P) shear forces ranged from 33.1 N to 912.3 N across the three poses. Relative differences in trunk flexion showed strong correlations with compressive and A/P shear forces at each pose, respectively. Discussion and conclusion: Strong associations were found between lumbar loads and participant’s anthropometrics. Recommendations for optimal postures and partner pairings were developed to help reduce the risk of lower back injuries during patient handling.