Comparison of Muscle Activity of Four Types of Bed-to-Wheelchair Transfers

This study investigated the muscular loading of 4 bed-to-wheelchair transfers: ceiling lift , manual, scoot, and modifi ed scoot. Two healthcare providers transferred two cooperative and weight-bearing “patients.” Bilateral muscle activity of 5 muscle groups in the back, shoulder, and upper extremity was recorded. Video recordings were taken to perform time studies on the healthcare providers’ movements. Overall muscle activity among techniques for each muscle group signifi – cantly diff ered (p<.0001). Th e mean ceiling lift duration was almost 4 times longer than the manual transfer (313.89 sec vs. 82.04 sec). The lifting/lowering tasks of the manual transfer techniques comprised a small portion of the transfer duration (9.2%-12.16%) while sling/sheet placement took the longest (16.41%-28.5%). The ceiling lift transfer produced the lowest mean EMGpeak levels for most muscle groups (86.40% -120.58 μV). Th is study demonstrated that physical loading varies throughout transfers and all involved muscle groups must be considered to adequately address injury prevention.

Howard NL, Bao S, Kim H, Silverstein B

Keywords: patient handling transfers, muscle activity, duration of transfer