Jw. Collins et Bd. Owen, NIOSH RESEARCH INITIATIVES TO PREVENT BACK INJURIES TO NURSING ASSISTANTS, AIDES, AND ORDERLIES IN NURSING-HOMES, American journal of industrial medicine, 29(4), 1996, pp. 421-424
Over the past 100 years, advances in nutrition, modern medicine, publi
c health, and a multitude of public health improvements have increased
the life expectancy of U.S. residents. The fact that Americans are li
ving longer has resulted in extensive growth in our elderly population
and a rapid employment growth that delivered about 2 million new jobs
between 1980 and 1989 in the health care workforce. The Bureau of Lab
or Statistics Injury and Illness Data for nursing homes rose from 10.7
to 18.6 injuries or illnesses per 100 full-time workers between 1980
and 1992. The injury and illness rates among nursing home workers are
partly due to the physical stress of providing round-the-clock assista
nce with the basic activities of daily living, such as getting in and
out of a bed or chair, as well as bathing and toileting. The National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is conducting a s
eries of research studies to identify strategies to reduce the risk of
musculoskeletal injuries to workers in nursing homes. NIOSH has funde
d two laboratory evaluations of resident transferring methods and one
field study in an actual nursing home. The purpose of this paper is to
describe the key findings from past NIOSH research initiatives and to
present an overview of future research. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.