Lifting Motions During Patient Repositioning in Novice and Experienced Nurses: A Pilot Study

Author(s):  
Abigail Holmes ◽  
Jessie Opella ◽  
Aimee Cloutier ◽  
James Yang ◽  
Patricia R. DeLucia

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2014, nursing and residential care facilities had the highest incidence rate of total nonfatal occupational injury cases in the U.S. Manual patient handling tasks result in high lumbar load (Jager et al., 2013), and most of work-related back disorders in nurses are related to patient transfers. The present pilot study seeks to determine if there are significant differences in the motion of experienced nurses and novice nurses while performing the same patient repositioning tasks. A motion capture experiment was conducted in a laboratory setting on 14 female nurses performing two patient repositioning tasks (moving patient toward the head of the bed; transferring patient from bed to a wheelchair). Of the nurses selected, 7 were experienced nurses (greater than 5 years of nursing experience), and 7 were novice nurses (between 0 and 2 years of nursing experience). The motion capture data were post processed using Cortex and Visual3D software. Average and maximum joint angles for the spine, knees, elbows, and shoulders for each task were compared between the novice and experienced nurses using a Wilcoxon Rank Sum test to determine whether there were significant differences in motion for the same patient repositioning tasks. Although significant differences were not found for average or maximum joint angles between the novice and experienced groups, there was a significant difference in variances between the novice and experienced groups for some angles for the wheelchair task.

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. e047666
Author(s):  
Jennifer Parent-Nichols ◽  
Julia Perez ◽  
Brittany Witherell ◽  
Paula McWilliam ◽  
Louis P Halamek ◽  
...  

ObjectivesThe biomechanics of the healthcare professionals (HCPs) performing the life-saving intervention of chest compressions in the neonatal population is poorly understood. The aim of this pilot study was to describe the variations in body position at a self-selected and a predetermined bed height during neonatal chest compressions. Measures of joint angles, time to postural sway and number of postural adjustments were chosen as indices for the stability of the HCP’s position.SettingData were collected at a simulation-based research centre in which the patient care environment was replicated.ParticipantsHCPs with varying roles working in the neonatal intensive care unit and holding a current Neonatal Resuscitation Program Provider certification were recruited for this study.InterventionsFifteen HCPs performed two trials of chest compressions, each lasting 2 min, at a predetermined bed height and a self-selected bed height. Trials were video recorded, capturing upper and lower body movements. Videos were analysed for time to postural sway and number of postural adjustments. Joint angles were measured at the start and end of each trial.ResultsA statistically significant difference was found between the two bed height conditions for number of postural adjustments (p=0.02). While not statistically significant, time postural sway was increased in the choice bed height condition (85 s) compared with the predetermined bed height (45 s). After 30 s of chest compressions, mean shoulder and knee angles were smaller for choice bed height (p=0.03, 95% CI Lower=−12.14, Upper=−0.68 and p=0.05, 95% CI Lower=3.43, Upper=0.01, respectively). After 1 min and 45 s of chest compressions, mean wrist angles were smaller in the choice bed height condition (p=0.01, 95% CI Lower=−9.20, Upper=−1.22), stride length decreased between the 30 s and 1 min 45 s marks of the chest compressions in the predetermined height condition (p=0.02).


Author(s):  
Irina Paula Doica ◽  
Dan Nicolae Florescu ◽  
Carmen Nicoleta Oancea ◽  
Adina Turcu-Stiolica ◽  
Mihaela-Simona Subtirelu ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently delaying the process of chronic hepatitis C (HCV) eradication, since most of the chronic diseases are neglected. Thus, there is a need for alternative programs for HCV therapy implementation and disease monitoring. Our aim was to provide a multidisciplinary approach, so that HCV-infected patients from distant locations may benefit from HCV antivirals during the COVID-19 outbreak and within the lockdown period in Romania. Previously diagnosed HCV patients willing to participate in this telemedicine pilot study were included. Patient characteristics and medical adherence were assessed and compared to the year preceding the pandemic. We proposed a multidisciplinary approach by using a telemedicine program for HCV therapy monitoring. Patients also received a satisfaction questionnaire after delivering the sustained virologic response (SVR) result. A total of 41 patients agreed to participate in this study. The medication adherence was 100% for patients included in the telemedicine group, with a statistically significant difference from the medication adherence of the patients treated in 2019. The satisfaction item score was 4.92 out of 5 and our results (r = −0.94, p < 0.0001) suggested that older patients embraced the telemedicine program less, but with the same success in terms of SVR (100%) and medication adherence (100%). Our pilot study offers the first example of a telemedicine program in Romania for HCV therapeutic management. During the lockdown period, telemedicine has served as a reliable tool and novel alternative for conventional monitoring of patients treated with direct antiviral agents and should be further considered even following the pandemic.


Endoscopy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alanna Ebigbo ◽  
Robert Mendel ◽  
Tobias Rückert ◽  
Laurin Schuster ◽  
Andreas Probst ◽  
...  

Background and aims: The accurate differentiation between T1a and T1b Barrett’s cancer has both therapeutic and prognostic implications but is challenging even for experienced physicians. We trained an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system on the basis of deep artificial neural networks (deep learning) to differentiate between T1a and T1b Barrett’s cancer white-light images. Methods: Endoscopic images from three tertiary care centres in Germany were collected retrospectively. A deep learning system was trained and tested using the principles of cross-validation. A total of 230 white-light endoscopic images (108 T1a and 122 T1b) was evaluated with the AI-system. For comparison, the images were also classified by experts specialized in endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of Barrett’s cancer. Results: The sensitivity, specificity, F1 and accuracy of the AI-system in the differentiation between T1a and T1b cancer lesions was 0.77, 0.64, 0.73 and 0.71, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the performance of the AI-system and that of human experts with sensitivity, specificity, F1 and accuracy of 0.63, 0.78, 0.67 and 0.70 respectively. Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates the first multicenter application of an AI-based system in the prediction of submucosal invasion in endoscopic images of Barrett’s cancer. AI scored equal to international experts in the field, but more work is necessary to improve the system and apply it to video sequences and in a real-life setting. Nevertheless, the correct prediction of submucosal invasion in Barret´s cancer remains challenging for both experts and AI.


2021 ◽  
pp. 216507992096196
Author(s):  
Sandra J. Domeracki

Background: Tennis leg (TL), a musculotendon injury to the gastrocnemius, has been associated with the eponymous sport since 1883. This article examines the historical context of TL as a sports compared with an occupational injury. This was juxtaposed with the history of tennis elbow, a tendon injury to the upper extremity also associated with sport. Methods: Bibliometric databases (PubMed, Web of Science [WOS], Hathi Trust) were keyword-searched; relevant citations were investigated in depth. Results: The search yielded 71 citations for TL (PubMed). The majority ( n = 43) were key word linked to sport terms; only one was linked to work-related search terms. Furthermore, none of the top four cited publications (Web of Science) alluded to work-related risk factors in TL in full textual analysis. Hathi Trust yielded the earliest work-related case, reported in a non-biomedical source. Tennis elbow was more frequently reported ( n = 189 citations in PubMed) and more frequently linked ( n = 193; 9.7%) to occupational search terms. Conclusion/Application to Practice: The history of TL, juxtaposed with tennis elbow, demonstrates how nosology can influence but does not wholly explain disease attribution, potentially to the detriment of taking into account occupational causality. The lack of recognition of occupational factors revealed in this literature search was notable because TL occurred most commonly in males of working age. By providing perspective on how historical context and nosology can affect the conceptualization of disease, this review may help inform prevention, treatment, and regulatory policy.


Author(s):  
Andrea Maugeri ◽  
Martina Barchitta ◽  
Roberta Magnano San Lio ◽  
Maria Clara La Rosa ◽  
Claudia La Mastra ◽  
...  

Several studies—albeit with still inconclusive and limited findings—began to focus on the effect of drinking alcohol on telomere length (TL). Here, we present results from a systematic review of these epidemiological studies to investigate the potential association between alcohol consumption, alcohol-related disorders, and TL. The analysis of fourteen studies—selected from PubMed, Medline, and Web of Science databases—showed that people with alcohol-related disorders exhibited shorter TL, but also that alcohol consumption per se did not appear to affect TL in the absence of alcohol abuse or dependence. Our work also revealed a lack of studies in the periconceptional period, raising the need for evaluating this potential relationship during pregnancy. To fill this gap, we conducted a pilot study using data and samples form the Mamma & Bambino cohort. We compared five non-smoking but drinking women with ten non-smoking and non-drinking women, matched for maternal age, gestational age at recruitment, pregestational body mass index, and fetal sex. Interestingly, we detected a significant difference when analyzing relative TL of leukocyte DNA of cord blood samples from newborns. In particular, newborns from drinking women exhibited shorter relative TL than those born from non-drinking women (p = 0.024). Although these findings appeared promising, further research should be encouraged to test any dose–response relationship, to adjust for the effect of other exposures, and to understand the molecular mechanisms involved.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Sevde Aksu ◽  
Pelin Palas Karaca

<b><i>Aim:</i></b> The research was conducted as a randomized controlled pilot study to evaluate the effects of reflexology on lactation in mothers who delivered by cesarean section (CS). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A single-blind randomized controlled experimental study was conducted with a total of 60 postpartum women in the reflexology application (<i>n</i> = 30) and control groups (<i>n</i> = 30). After the CS, the mothers in the control group were given approximately 3-h routine nursing care after recovering from the effects of anesthesia; the introductory information form was applied, and the Breastfeeding Charting System and Documentation Tool (LATCH) and visual analog scale (VAS) for the signs of the onset of lactation were implemented on the first and second days. Reflexology was applied to the women in the intervention group after an average of 3 h following the mother’s condition had become stable and she had recovered from the effects of anesthesia. Reflexology was applied a total of 20 min – 10 min for the right foot, 10 min for the left foot – twice a day with 8-h intervals on the first and second days after CS. After the last reflexology application, the LATCH and VAS for the signs of the onset of lactation were applied. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Of the women, 70% breastfed their babies within 60 min after delivery; 46.7% of the mothers received breastfeeding training and 81.7% needed support for breastfeeding after the CS. The LATCH breastfeeding scores of the women in the intervention group on both days were significantly higher compared to those of the women in the control group (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). On the first day after the CS, apart from breast pain, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of breast heat and breast tension (<i>p</i> &#x3e; 0.05). On the second day after the CS, apart from breast tension, there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of breast heat and breast pain (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05). In the study, women in the intervention group were found to have higher scores in terms of all three symptoms compared to the control group (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> In the study, it was determined that LATCH scores and signs of the onset of breastfeeding increased in the mothers who received reflexology after CS.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuf O. Cakmak ◽  
Burak Ozsoy ◽  
Sibel Ertan ◽  
Ozgur O. Cakmak ◽  
Gunes Kiziltan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A225-A225
Author(s):  
J Xue ◽  
R Zhao ◽  
J Li ◽  
L Zhao ◽  
B Zhou ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction To evaluate the utility of the ring pulse oximeter for screening of OSA in adults. Methods 87 adults were monitored by a ring pulse oximeter and PSG simultaneously during a nocturnal in-lab sleep testing. 3% oxygen desaturation index (ODI3); Mean oxygen saturation(MSpO2), Saturation impair time below 90% (SIT90) derived from an automated algorithm of the ring pulse oximeter. Meanwhile, the parameters of PSG were scored manually according to the AASM Manual. Correlation and receiver operator characteristic curve analysis were used to measure the accuracy of ring pulse oximeter and its diagnostic value for moderate to severe OSA (AHI≥15). Results Among the 87 participants, 18 cases were AHI&lt;5, 17 cases were diagnosed with mild OSA (AHI:5-14.9), 25 cases were diagnosed with moderate OSA (AHI:15-29.9) and 27 cases were diagnosed with severe OSA (AHI≥30). There was no significant difference between PSG and ring pulse oximeter in regard to ODI3 (23.4±23.5 vs 24.7 ± 21.7), and SIT90 (1.54%, range 0.14%-8.99% vs. 3.20%, range 0.60%, 12.30%) (P&gt;0.05], Further analysis indicated that two parameters from the oximeter correlated well with that derived from PSG (r=0.889, 0.567, respectively, both p&lt;0.05). Although MSpO2 correlated significantly (r=0.448, P&lt;0.05), the difference was remarkable [95.9%, range 94.0% to 97.0% vs. 94.5%, range 93.3% to 95.7%, p&lt;0.05]. Bland-Altman plots showed that the agreement of these three parameters was within the clinical acceptance range. The ROC curve showed that the sensitivity and specificity of the ring pulse oximeter when the oximeter derived ODI3 ≥12.5 in the diagnosis of moderate to severe OSA were 82.7% and 74.3%, respectively. Conclusion The pilot study indicated that ring pulse oximeter can detect oxygen desaturation events accurately, therefore to be used as a screening tool for moderate to severe OSA. Support The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81420108002 and NO. 81570083).


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