Zheng Liying, Hawke Ashley L, Evans Kimeran
Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV, USA.
Division of Physical Therapy, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
Int J Ind Ergon. 2022 May;89. doi: 10.1016/j.ergon.2022.103290.
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) remain a major concern for workers in the healthcare industry. Healthcare workers are at high risk of work-related MSDs mainly caused by overexertion from manually handling patients. Exoskeletons may be a useful tool to help reduce the risk of MSDs during patient handling. As a review study, we surveyed articles focusing on applying exoskeletons to patient handling tasks specifically. We also reviewed relevant government databases and other studies related to Safe Patient Handling and Mobility (SPHM) programs and exoskeleton applications in general. The exoskeletons specifically designed for patient handling were found to be sparse. To have a better understanding of the needs and challenges of developing and using exoskeletons for reducing risks of work-related MSDs in healthcare workers during patient handling, this critical review (1) provided an overview of the existing issues and projected future burdens related to work-related MSDs during patient handling tasks, (2) recognized current and potential roles and applications of existing exoskeletons, and (3) identified challenges and needs for future exoskeleton products. In conclusion, we do not expect exoskeletons to replace the existing SPHM programs, but rather play a complementary role to these multi-pronged programs. We expect that emerging exoskeleton products can be introduced to uncontrolled or specialized healthcare environments. There are various expectations and requirements for an exoskeleton used in different healthcare settings. Additionally, introducing certain types of exoskeletons for patients to assist them during treatment and rehabilitation may help reduce the MSD risks to the healthcare workers.
肌肉骨骼疾病（MSDs）仍然是医疗行业工作者的主要担忧。医护人员面临与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病的高风险，主要是由于手动搬运患者时过度劳累所致。外骨骼可能是一种有用的工具，有助于在搬运患者过程中降低肌肉骨骼疾病的风险。作为一项综述研究，我们专门调查了专注于将外骨骼应用于患者搬运任务的文章。我们还审查了相关政府数据库以及其他与安全患者搬运和移动性（SPHM）计划及外骨骼一般应用相关的研究。发现专门为患者搬运设计的外骨骼很少。为了更好地理解开发和使用外骨骼以降低医护人员在搬运患者过程中与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病风险的需求和挑战，本综述（1）概述了与患者搬运任务中与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病相关的现有问题和预计未来负担，（2）认识到现有外骨骼的当前和潜在作用及应用，以及（3）确定了未来外骨骼产品的挑战和需求。总之，我们预计外骨骼不会取代现有的SPHM计划，而是会对这些多管齐下的计划起到补充作用。我们期望新兴的外骨骼产品能够引入到不受控制或特殊的医疗环境中。对于在不同医疗环境中使用的外骨骼有各种期望和要求。此外，为患者引入某些类型的外骨骼以在治疗和康复期间协助他们，可能有助于降低医护人员的肌肉骨骼疾病风险。
