Coman Robyn, Caponecchia Carlo
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Academic Program, School of Health and Society, Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
School of Aviation, Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Front Aging. 2023 Apr 6;4:1157829. doi: 10.3389/fragi.2023.1157829. eCollection 2023.
This study aimed to evaluate the suitability and usability of the Pro-Mobility patient/person handling assessment tool (ProMob) within residential aged care. Physiological changes associated with ageing influence an older person's ability to perform functional mobility tasks such as transferring from furniture and walking. Strategies that improve capability and/or reduce the physical demands of the task have the potential to promote an older person's mobility, independence and wellbeing. Environment-related strategies in Manual Handling of People (MHP), such as optimum seated heights, in part address this challenge, as they can promote resident functional mobility while also protecting staff from injury. The ProMob tool was developed to address this issue through systematic evaluation of these environmental factors. The participants in this study were seven (7) residential aged care facilities (RACFs) operated by a not-for-profit aged care organization. A qualified assessor evaluated MHP risk management with the ProMob tool at each RACF through collection of data for a random sample of residents ( = 67) regarding their living environments and available mobility information. Data was transferred to an SPSS-22 statistical software database for analysis which involved descriptive statistics and cross tabulations. Application of the ProMob tool provided effective quantification of the nature and extent of environment-related MHP interventions that may influence resident mobility. Areas for improvement with MHP risk management were identified, with variation evident across RACF's within the same organisation, which was not consistent with levels of care (e.g., lack of clear space to facilitate mobility). Low level care facilities were observed to have fewer adaptive environmental features that could potentially slow decline in independence. Features of the aged care environment can be used to facilitate the functional mobility of aged care residents, and simultaneously reduce injury risk for staff in MHP interactions. The ProMob tool can be used for auditing care facilities, planning re-development, and continual improvement in provision of care and management of staff injury risk exposure.
本研究旨在评估“促进移动性患者/人员搬运评估工具”（ProMob）在老年护理机构中的适用性和可用性。与衰老相关的生理变化会影响老年人执行功能性移动任务的能力，如从家具上转移和行走。提高能力和/或降低任务体力要求的策略有可能促进老年人的移动性、独立性和幸福感。《人员手动搬运》（MHP）中与环境相关的策略，如最佳座位高度，部分解决了这一挑战，因为它们可以促进居民的功能性移动，同时保护工作人员免受伤害。ProMob工具的开发旨在通过对这些环境因素进行系统评估来解决这一问题。本研究的参与者是一家非营利性老年护理组织运营的七家老年护理机构（RACF）。一名合格的评估员通过收集随机抽取的67名居民的生活环境和可用移动信息数据，使用ProMob工具在每个RACF评估MHP风险管理。数据被传输到SPSS - 22统计软件数据库进行分析，分析包括描述性统计和交叉制表。ProMob工具的应用有效地量化了可能影响居民移动性的与环境相关的MHP干预措施的性质和程度。确定了MHP风险管理的改进领域，同一组织内的RACF之间存在明显差异，这与护理水平不一致（例如，缺乏便于移动的空间）。观察发现，低护理水平的设施具有较少的适应性环境特征，这些特征可能会减缓独立性的下降。老年护理环境的特征可用于促进老年护理居民的功能性移动，同时降低MHP互动中工作人员的受伤风险。ProMob工具可用于审核护理设施、规划重新开发以及持续改进护理提供和工作人员受伤风险暴露管理。
