Effects of an Electric Drive Wheel on Hand Force, Body Posture and Perceived Exertion During Hospital Bed Transport by Nursing

Abstract

Studies show a high prevalence of back, shoulder and neck pain among nurses. Moving hospital beds is one of the most demanding tasks for healthcare workers, especially due to heavy weights and long distances. To reduce the physical burden on healthcare workers during bed transport, a novel electric drive wheel has been developed. This electric drive wheel replaces one of the four outer castors of a hospital bed. Existing hospital beds can be retrofitted using a plug-and-play approach. The aim of this study was to investigate its impact on the action force, body posture and perceived exertion when moving hospital beds. 13 nurses (5 male, 8 female) moved a standardised hospital bed through a realistic course that included ramps, curves, corridors and an elevator. The bed was moved with and without the drive wheel. Hand action forces were measured using 3D force measurement grips. Body posture was recorded using a Xsens motion analysis system. The subjective perception of strain was analysed using the Borg CR10 scale. In addition, t-tests and Wilcoxon tests were performed to analyse significant differences in peak and mean values between the bed configurations (manual, assist).The drive wheel significantly reduced physical load, lowering hand forces by 22% and trunk inclination by 18%. The highest reductions up to 45% occurred during start phase and when pushing the beds on ramps. Test participants rated the physical workload as “severe” to “very severe”. With the powered castor the physical workload decreased by 69% as “slight”. Hospital beds equipped with electric drive wheels can help reduce physical strain in everyday clinical care during pushing and pulling, especially in high-strain situations such as navigating ramps. However, not all recommended ergonomic limits were met, even with driving assistance.

Keywords: Workload Reduction, Hospital Bed Mobility, Posture Analysis

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007475