References
Effect of absorbent continence product design on handling time and caregiver physical posture: ergonomic evaluation
Abstract
Background:
The design of absorbent continence products is important to family caregivers, because it can simplify pad changes, save time and improve lower back posture. However, the ergonomic design of many products has not received sufficient attention.
Aims:
The study aimed to assess the time required for handling three types of absorbent continence products and evaluate physical stress on the hand-arm and back-head areas of the participants in both the lying and standing position from an ergonomic perspective.
Methods:
Twenty-one non-professionals without prior nursing experience in Germany participated in the study. Objective data, including the time required to apply, change and remove the products three times, the duration of harmful postures, and the subjective evaluation of the products according to ergonomic criteria were investigated.
Findings:
There were significant differences between two application positions (lying down versus standing) for all products. Handling the products with the patient in a standing position was faster, requiring less stressful postures and fewer hand grips. Objective data showed that MoliCare® premium Elastic was the quickest product to handle and had the shortest duration of unfavourable postures. The MoliFlex (Belted) ranked second in terms of harmful postures, whereas the MoliCare premium Slip performed slightly better than the Belted product in the duration of change in the lying down position.
Conclusion:
In the design of absorbent continence products, it is important to consider that comfort and quality are important not only for patients but also for family caregivers. Choosing the correct continence product can minimise the time and physical effort required for product handling.
Musculoskeletal symptoms such as low back pain are serious health problems, and their prevalence is high among hospital nurses, nursing home care workers and family caregivers. Low back pain is a significant health issue for female nurses because of their generally lower physical strength compared with their male counterparts, particularly in the upper body. Tasks such as changing continence pads, adjusting a patient's posture, lifting and transferring long-term care patients, and similar physical strain are the main factors associated with low back injuries (Kyota et al, 2013; Suzuki et al, 2016). Patients’ continence pads demand frequent changes, which often requires family caregivers to bend forward. However, bending of the body's trunk by more than 20° from a stable posture increases the load on the erector spinae muscle compared with the standing position (Kyota et al, 2013). These health issues not only interrupt the continuity of care, but also diminish family caregivers’ quality of life, potentially leading to a situation in which the caregiver requires care (Suzuki et al, 2016).
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