OBJECTIVE: The goals of this project were to improve the understanding of risk factors that may lead to injury and increased turnover in home health aides, discover unexplored opportunities for intervention, and test those intervention ideas for potential effects, feasibility, and acceptance by home health aides and their employers. METHODS: Analysis of injury data, extensive direct observation and analysis of aide-patient interactions, participatory intervention ideation focus group discussions, and intervention pilot testing was conducted. RESULTS: A method of categorizing each patient's level of skill in transfer and bathing activities, and their mobility assistance requirements was developed from information collected during the study as well as a review of the literature. In a pilot test, the new categorization scheme was used to control the aides' daily exposure to higher needs patients. The percentage of time that aides worked with patients in higher needs categories was found to be related to the aides' self-reports of end-of-shift fatigue and pain. CONCLUSION: Home health care companies may find that developing a scheduling system that manages the exposure of their aides to higher needs patients may be a feasible and effective method for reducing the aides' exposure to risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries.
OBJECTIVE: The goals of this project were to improve the understanding of risk factors that may lead to injury and increased turnover in home health aides, discover unexplored opportunities for intervention, and test those intervention ideas for potential effects, feasibility, and acceptance by home health aides and their employers. METHODS: Analysis of injury data, extensive direct observation and analysis of aide-patient interactions, participatory intervention ideation focus group discussions, and intervention pilot testing was conducted. RESULTS: A method of categorizing each patient's level of skill in transfer and bathing activities, and their mobility assistance requirements was developed from information collected during the study as well as a review of the literature. In a pilot test, the new categorization scheme was used to control the aides' daily exposure to higher needs patients. The percentage of time that aides worked with patients in higher needs categories was found to be related to the aides' self-reports of end-of-shift fatigue and pain. CONCLUSION: Home health care companies may find that developing a scheduling system that manages the exposure of their aides to higher needs patients may be a feasible and effective method for reducing the aides' exposure to risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries.
Authors: Barbara J Polivka; Celia E Wills; Amy Darragh; Steven Lavender; Carolyn Sommerich; Donald Stredney Journal: Workplace Health Saf Date: 2015-08-12 Impact factor: 1.413
Authors: Celia E Wills; Barbara J Polivka; Amy Darragh; Steven Lavender; Carolyn Sommerich; Donald Stredney Journal: West J Nurs Res Date: 2015-12-14 Impact factor: 1.967
Authors: Augustine A Acquah; Clive D'Souza; Bernard J Martin; John Arko-Mensah; Paul K Botwe; Prudence Tettey; Duah Dwomoh; Afua Amoabeng Nti; Lawrencia Kwarteng; Sylvia Takyi; Isabella A Quakyi; Thomas G Robins; Julius N Fobil Journal: Int J Ind Ergon Date: 2021-02-23 Impact factor: 2.656
Authors: Johanna Persson; Gerd Johansson; Inger Arvidsson; Britt Östlund; Charlotte Holgersson; Roger Persson; Christofer Rydenfält Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2022-03-15 Impact factor: 2.655