Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of direction of exertion (DOE) (pushing, pulling), path (walking in a straight line, turning left, walking uphill), and load placement (LP) (the 18 blocks were indicated by X, Y and Z axis; there were 3 levels on the X axis, 2 levels on the Y axis, and 3 levels on the Z axis) on muscle activity and ratings of perceived exertion in nursing cart pushing and pulling tasks. Ten participants who were female students and not experienced nurses were recruited to participate in the experiment. Each participant performed 108 experimental trials in the study, consisting of 2 directions of exertion (push and pull), 3 paths, and 18 load placements (indicated by X, Y and Z axes). A 23kg load was placed into one load placement. The dependent variables were electromyographic (EMG) data of four muscles collected bilaterally as follows: Left (L) and right (R) trapezius (TR), flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS), extensor digitorum (ED), and erector spinae (ES) and subjective ratings of perceived exertion (RPE). Split-split-plot ANOVA was conducted to analyze significant differences between DOE, path, and LP in the EMG and RPE data. Pulling cart tasks produced a significantly higher activation of the muscles (RTR:54.4%, LTR:50.3%, LFDS:57.0%, LED:63.4%, RES:40.7%, LES:36.7%) than pushing cart tasks (RTR:42.4%, LTR:35.1%, LFDS:32.3%, LED:55.1%, RES:33.3%, LES:32.1%). A significantly greater perceived exertion was found in pulling cart tasks than pushing cart tasks. Significantly higher activation of all muscles and perceived exertion were observed for walking uphill than walking in a straight line and turning left. Significantly lower muscle activity of all muscles and subject ratings were observed for the central position on the X axis, the bottom position on the Y axis, and the posterior position on the Z axis. These findings suggest that nursing staff should adopt forward pushing when moving a nursing cart, instead of backward pulling, and that uphill paths should be avoided in the design of work environments. In terms of distribution of the load in a nursing cart, heavier materials should be positioned at bottom of the cabinet, centered on the horizontal plane and close to the handle, to reduce the physical load of the nursing staff.
Highlights
Many studies have pointed out that nurses are at high risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) [1,2,3,4,5,6]
The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of direction of exertion (DOE), path, and load placement (LP) on muscle activity and ratings of perceived exertion in nursing cart pushing and pulling tasks
Lower muscle activity of all muscles and subject ratings were observed for the central position on the X axis, the bottom position on the Y axis, and the posterior position on the Z axis. These findings suggest that nursing staff should adopt forward pushing when moving a nursing cart, instead of backward pulling, and that uphill paths should be avoided in the design of work environments
Summary
Many studies have pointed out that nurses are at high risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Nursing is heavy physical work that often requires bending of the back, turning patients, pushing and pulling medical carts and hospital beds, sometimes even carrying heavy loads [7, 8]. Studies have found that the main causes of musculoskeletal injuries are overexertion and cumulative load [9]. Considering the feasibility of clinical practices, nursing carts with computers installed have been developed to assist nursing staff in hospitals and clinics. Nursing staff can move such carts freely to take care of the patients, freeing them from a fixed nursing station. The operations of cart pushing and pulling belong to manual material handling (MMH). Results and recommendations from pushing and pulling research in MMH literature can be used to help the design of nursing cart handling tasks and the cart design itself
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