References
The use of the MK5 Mobility Classes to improve safe patient handling: a reliability study

Abstract
In health care, work-related musculoskeletal disorders are largely attributed to patient-handling tasks. Reliable assessments of patient mobility are imperative to mitigate the musculoskeletal burden on healthcare providers. This study explores the reliability of MK5 Mobility Classes, a patient mobility classification system. Authentic video material was collected, which enabled many healthcare providers to evaluate patient mobility within a highly realistic practical environment. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability were determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). A total of 147 raters completed the MK5 assessment for 40 distinct practical cases. Additionally, 75 raters repeated the assessments. The high level of inter-rater reliability, ICC value of 0.82, demonstrates the consistent performance of MK5 in assessing patient mobility across diverse scenarios. Intra-rater reliability results showed moderate agreement, with an average ICC of 0.59. This study confirms the reliability of the MK5 Mobility Classes in assessing patient mobility in healthcare settings.
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are highly prevalent among healthcare providers, leading to increased healthcare costs (Alnaser and Aljadi, 2019; Gorce and Jacquier-Bret, 2023; Sun et al, 2023), affecting healthcare quality and efficiency (Hartvigsen et al, 2018; Asuquo et al, 2021). Performing patient handling is associated with work-related disorders among healthcare providers due to repetitive movements, static and physical strain, and the handling of heavy loads (Fochsen et al, 2006; Knibbe and Knibbe, 2012a; Bernal et al, 2015; Amaro et al, 2018; Zenker et al, 2020). Recent research found an annual prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) ranging from 77.2% (Sun et al, 2023) to 88.2% (Kugler et al, 2023) among nursing staff, with low back pain being the most common (Heiden et al, 2013). These disorders can lead to job dissatisfaction, burnout and health professionals leaving the field (Fochsen et al, 2006; Teixeira et al, 2022). Beyond physical inconvenience, low back pain and depression correlate with higher absenteeism rates among healthcare providers (Virkkunen et al, 2022), emphasising the need for comprehensive ergonomic practices.
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