Safe patient handling education: analysis from European higher education institutions

• Authors: Marion Karppi , Javier Jerez-Roig , Kati Naamanka , Teresa Mimoso , Erja Sormunen , Vilma Dudoniene , Eija Mämmelä , Aldina Lucena , Leena Tamminen-Peter

Abstracts

EN

Objectives According to current research, patient handling is not universally taught in academic nursing programs in Europe. Miscellaneous patient handling education may expose students and novice health care workers to occupational hazards, especially if the evidence-based contents of safe patient handling are not recognized. Health care workers deal with high physical workloads daily, which points out the importance of evidence-based curricula contents from the early phases of education. The aim of this study was to describe the patient handling education and to analyse the differences in curricula among higher education institutions (HEIs) in Europe. Material and Methods The study used a cross-sectional design and was conducted in HEIs educating health care professionals in Europe. The data was collected through a Webropol questionnaire consisting of structured and open-ended questions. Results Only 68.4% of the respondents stated that they have a framework that guides the patient handling education. Additionally, some answers referred to guidelines that are not adequate to be referred to as evidence-based guidelines on patient handling. There is variation in emphasizing workplace safety and risk assessment issues in the curricula, and variation in teaching of assistive aids. Conclusions Currently the patient handling education in the studied HEIs does not meet the requirements of evidence-based practice. The establishment of a European-wide framework, including both theoretical and practical training for safe patient handling is needed. The inclusion of risk assessment and workplace safety issues is essential to improve the risk management knowledge and skills and further avoid work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

Keywords

EN

ergonomics; occupational safety; risk prevention; framework; assistive aids; patient handling

• Publisher: Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. dra Jerzego Nofera w Łodzi
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
• Year: 2022
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 615-623

Dates

published

2022

Contributors

author

Marion Karppi

• Turku University of Applied Sciences, Turku, Finland (Faculty of Health and Well-Being, New Ways of Promoting Performance Research Group)

author

Javier Jerez-Roig

• University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Spain (Faculty of Health Sciences and Welfare, Research Group on Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M3O))

author

Kati Naamanka

• Turku University of Applied Sciences, Turku, Finland (Faculty of Health and Well-Being)

author

Teresa Mimoso

• Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Setubal, Portugal (Department of Physiotherapy)

author

Erja Sormunen

• Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland

author

Vilma Dudoniene

• Lithuanian Sports University, Kaunas, Lithuania (Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation)

author

Eija Mämmelä

• Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Oulu, Finland (School of Health and Social Care)

author

Aldina Lucena

• Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Setubal, Portugal (Department of Physiotherapy)

author

Leena Tamminen-Peter

• Ergosolutions BC Oy Ab, Turku, Finland

Identifiers

DOI

10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01954

Biblioteka Nauki

2153011