Journal article
Working postures and physical activity among registered nurses
Applied ergonomics, Vol.54, pp.243-250
05/2016
DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2016.01.008
PMID: 26851483
Abstract
Nurses report a high prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort, particularly of the low back and neck/shoulder. This study characterized the full-shift upper arm and trunk postures and movement velocities of registered nurses using inertial measurement units (IMUs). Intensity of occupational physical activity (PA) was also ascertained using a waist-worn PA monitor and using the raw acceleration data from each IMU. Results indicated that nurses spent a relatively small proportion of their work time with the arms or trunk in extreme postures, but had few opportunities for rest and recovery in comparison to several other occupational groups. Comparisons between nurses in different PA groups suggested that using a combination of accelerometers secured to several body locations may provide more representative estimates of physical demands than a single, waist-worn PA monitor. The findings indicate a need for continued field-based research with larger sample sizes to facilitate the development of maximally effective intervention strategies.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Working postures and physical activity among registered nurses
- Creators
- Mark C Schall Jr - Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Auburn University, 3301 Shelby Center for Engineering Technology, Auburn, AL, USA. Electronic address: mark-schall@eng.auburn.eduNathan B Fethke - Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USAHoward Chen - Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Applied ergonomics, Vol.54, pp.243-250
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.apergo.2016.01.008
- PMID
- 26851483
- NLM abbreviation
- Appl Ergon
- ISSN
- 0003-6870
- eISSN
- 1872-9126
- Publisher
- England
- Grant note
- U19OH008858 / NIOSH CDC HHS U19 OH008868 / NIOSH CDC HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 05/2016
- Academic Unit
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Occupational and Environmental Health; Industrial and Systems Engineering; Injury Prevention Research Center
- Record Identifier
- 9983997447902771
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