Methods: This was a two-year project that consisted of one year of formative evaluation of a local long-term care nursing facility gathering qualitative and quantitative data assessing the facility’s existing patient handling program in relation to a current model of best practice as well as to develop a compliance monitoring and feedback system consisting of an inexpensive Microsoft Kinect-based real-time motion tracking and smart watch. Both program design and implementation involved collaboration between multiple health care disciplines and community partners. The team consisted of nursing, physical and occupational therapy and engineering. In the second year, a piolet program was implemented using the real-time motion tracking device with the nursing assistants. A quantitative and qualitative summative evaluation was completed. The effectiveness of the pilot updated safe handling program as well as the new compliance monitoring and feedback system were reviewed. It also addressed the perceptions of the participants about the impact of the monitoring on their safe movement during bedside patient care tasks, their perceptions of its effectiveness in cuing them to perform tasks more correctly, and their perception of the value of real-time versus summative feedback. The system was trialed for 2 different activities. Seven nursing assistants were recruited from the regular STNA staff and used the system during their daily activities in caring for patients. The second activity was a Fall Frenzy when 40 nurses and nursing assistants used the system in various mock activities to related to body mechanics.
Results: For the 7 STNA’s, a survey method was used to gather data about their experience with the system. All 7 reported satisfaction with the activity detection accuracy. Five participants stated that the system resulted in changes in their body mechanics. Six participants felt the system would be helpful when first learning good body mechanics. Five participants felt that the vibrating watch helped them to know when they were using poor body mechanics during their bedside care. All 5 were satisfied with the watch itself and did not feel it interfered with their work.
For the Fall Frenzy, there were 40 participants that were surveyed after their participation. Of the 40 participants, 37 felt that the vibrating watch helped them to know when they were using poor body mechanics. Thirty-five participants felt that the system would be helpful when first learning good body mechanics. Thirty-three did not mind having the Kinect camera record their body positions while practicing beside care. Thirty-four participants like this way of learning compared to previous lecture/computer learning.
Discussion: While this was a small piolet program, it did provide valuable information regarding a method that could be used to help with training medical professionals better body mechanics and help reduce the number of musculoskeletal injuries. By offering this method for training, it can improve the understanding of proper body mechanics at the bedside. While this method was used with nurse and nursing assistants, it can be expanded to all those working in any field where poor body mechanics can cause injury.
Other: This project was funded by Ohio Occupational Safety and Health Research Program