Proposed Topic (Most preferred): :
Clinical Safety and Quality Service II (Projects aiming to enhance clinical safety and outcomes, clinical governance / risk management)
Proposed Topic (Second preferred): :
HA Young Investigators Session (Projects to be presented by HA staff who had joined HA for 10 years or less)
Authors (including presenting author) :
Cheung BWL(1), Lau MHL(1), Cheung MHH(1), Chan MMY(1), Chan HKT(1), Leung KKL(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Physiotherapy Department, Kowloon Hospital
Introduction :
Attendant-propelled wheelchair is a common mode of patient transportation in Kowloon Hospital (KH). Varying amounts of force are required for propulsion with the loading weight and floor surface being established factors of the required effort. Workers propelling wheelchairs are more probable to Manual Handling Operation (MHO) which is one of the most prevalent Injury on Duty (IOD) in KH (2022) contributing to 17.4% IOD cases. The risk of sprain and strain injuries could easily be magnified due to the repetitive propelling maneuver and aging workforce. Therefore, it is important to understand the wheelchair operations kinematics in order to formulate work recommendation tackling post-injury cases, aged staff and injury prevention.
Objectives :
The objective is to determine the relationship between the pushing force exerted on a wheelchair and the loading weight placed on the wheelchair during forward movement.
Methodology :
Data collection was conducted at the corridor and gym room of physiotherapy department, and hospital ward floor surfaces. Standard and recliner wheelchair were investigated. A digital dynamometer was used to measure the peak forces exerted upon overcoming rolling resistance and initiating a pure forward movement from stationary. Standard weights were loaded onto the wheelchair in proportional increments from empty load to maximum loading capacity (Standard: 122.4kg, Recliner: 102.2kg).
Result & Outcome :
Simple linear regression was used to test if weight significantly predicts the pushing force for wheelchair forward movement. The regression for all six trials at physiotherapy department corridor (Standard wheelchair: R2 = 0.918, p=<0.05; Recliner wheelchair: R2 = 0.963, p=<0.05), physiotherapy department gym room (Standard wheelchair: R2 = 0.896, p=<0.05; Recliner wheelchair R2 = 0.953, p=<0.05) and hospital ward (Standard wheelchair: R2 = 0.957, p=<0.05; Recliner wheelchair: R2 = 0.986, p=<0.05) were statistically significant.
A strong relationship was revealed through linear regression analysis between pushing force applied to weight placed on the wheelchair during forward movement. This relationship was found to have varying coefficients with different terrain, which are consistent with previous studies on manual carts handling. Therefore, it is advised to emphasize the importance of maintaining proper posture during wheelchair propelling, particularly when traversing uneven or challenging surfaces. It is also crucial to evaluate individual capability to meet the physical demand when handling weighty patients for ensuring safety. This study collects data to reveal the components of safe practice in wheelchair propelling which reflects the goal of keeping our staff healthy and happy, which corresponded to one of the core visions of our corporate.
