Development of a checking system for body mechanics focusing on the angle of forward leaning during bedmaking

概要

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Occupational low back pain is a serious problem among nurses, and the incidence of low back pain and the rate of absences resulting from low back pain are high among new nurses. Therefore, measures for low back pain are urgently required from the perspective of preventing the loss of nurses. In addition, as low back pain also frequently develops among nursing students during training at hospitals, measures for preventing low back pain must be established from an early stage, in other words basic nursing education. Forward leaning, which involves the forward flexion of the upper body, is a cause of low back pain developing during nursing actions. However, the application of body mechanics, which promote efficient actions, improves posture and may lead to prevention of low back pain. Therefore, in the present study, we focused on bedmaking, an action that nursing students learn at an early stage as a basic nursing technique, and developed a "checking system for body mechanics" that enables self-checking of the angle of forward leaning during actions. The results of an evaluation experiment on nursing students revealed that 1) the system enabled users to objectively and easily assess their nursing actions, and 2) the angle of forward leaning during actions remained ≤30°, the range in which minimal burden is placed on the lower back. The objectives of system development were thus achieved.