This week is Back Care Awareness Week, and this year’s theme is Back Pain in Nursing.

Back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders affect approximately 70% of adults at some point in their lifetime. Once a person has experienced an episode of back pain, they are more than 40% likely to experience a repeat episode in the same year, and 50% will experience a recurrence at some point in their lives. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these statistics increase considerably for nurses and caregivers who are required to lift and manoeuvre patients frequently as part of their job.

Manual handling injuries account for over 25% of all reported injuries to employees in the healthcare sector, with the annual cost to the NHS totalling around £400 million per year. A study by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) identified that 52% of manual handling injuries occur during incidents involving hospital beds, usually when attempting to adjust the patient’s position.

Regulation 4 of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended) indicates that avoiding the need for employees to undertake any manual handling operations which involve a risk of injury is the responsibility of their employer. A study by the Health and Safety Executive in 2011 concluded that electric profiling beds can help overcome many of the difficulties associated with patient positioning and mobilisation, as well as reducing the risk of injury to staff and patients.

Our series of M9 patient trolleys all feature a fully electric profiling deck, capable of manoeuvring patients into a chair position, a Trendelenburg setting (16°) and reverse tilt, as well as a class-leading low height of 35cm at the touch of a button (43cm for the M9 Trauma). These attributes dramatically reduce the manual handling risk that comes with patient positioning. The trolleys are controlled by a simple, smart, easy to use handset with functions that can be individually locked to prevent operation when required.

Our healthcare heroes are invaluable assets to our healthcare services, and they deserve the very best medical equipment available to them to enable them to give care of the highest calibre and continue to perform at their best.

Protect your staff. Request a FREE trial of the M9 Trauma, Transfer, Short Stay or Paediatric today.