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Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a major source of injury to healthcare workers. These injuries are due in large part to overexertion related to repeated manual patient handling activities, often involving heavy manual lifting associated with transferring, and repositioning patients and working in extremely awkward postures. Some examples of patient handling tasks that may be identified as high-risk include: transferring from toilet to chair, transferring from chair to bed, transferring from bathtub to chair, repositioning from side to side in bed, lifting a patient in bed, repositioning a patient in chair, or making a bed with a patient in it.
Industries where patient handling tasks are performed include: Long-term care (includes facilities that provide skilled or non-skilled nursing care); acute care (includes hospitals, out-patient surgical centers, and clinics); home healthcare workers; and others (such as physical therapists, radiologists, sonographers, etc.) Some examples of areas of a facility that may be identified as high-risk include: bathing rooms, extended care wings, and diagnostic units (e.g., radiology, emergency department, spinal unit, orthopedics department).
Employers should: