A Questionnaire of Musculoskeletal Injuries Associated With Manual Patient Lifting in Occupational Therapy Practitioners in the State of Ohio

摘要

The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence and type of musculoskeletal injury due to patient handling as well as to ascertain current safe patient handling practices in occupational therapy within the state of Ohio. A questionnaire focusing on safe patient handling issues was e-mailed to 1,113 occupational therapy practitioners in the state of Ohio, with an overall response rate of 26%. Sixty-four percent indicated they were required to transfer patients manually. Of these respondents, 8% indicated receiving an injury, 11% missed days away from work in connection with sustaining an injury, and 12% considered leaving the profession early due to patient handling concerns. The study demonstrated that this sample of occupational therapy practitioners was exposed to occupationally based high-risk situations regarding patient handling with moderate to high incidence rates for musculoskeletal injuries. Additional research is needed to ascertain the status of safe patient handling among occupational therapy practitioners nationwide.