Caregivers in health care industries suffer from a high prevalence of occupational injuries and ranked as one of the highest-risk occupations in terms of occupational injuries. Among the injuries, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) particularly in the low back and shoulder regions have been one of the largest components in worker’s compensation claims and therefore create a substantial economic burden on various stakeholders including caregivers with an estimated annual economic burden of $1.6 billion in the US. Recent studies showed that one out of every 2-3 caregivers has experienced the low back pain in the previous year.
On-going Research Project
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"The Effect of Slide Sheets on Physical Stress and Task Efficiency during Patient Repositioning in Bed" to evaluate muscle activity and joint net torque in hand, shoulder, and low back during patient transfer using four different engineering controls: a conventional cotton draw sheet, friction-reducing slide sheet, friction-reducing slide board, and air-assisted transfer device.
Relevant publications
Hwang J, Kuppam, VA, Chodraju, SS, Chen, J, Kim, JH, “Commercially Available Friction-Reducing Patient-Transfer Devices Reduce Biomechanical Stresses on Caregivers' Upper Extremities and Low Back.”, Hum Factors, pp. 1-16, 2019.