Investigating the Use of Exoskeletons for Reducing Musculoskeletal Injuries in Surgical Care Tasks

项目摘要 工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病（WMSDs）由于过度劳累仍然是最主要的原因之一， 职业伤害，特别是外科团队成员。手动提升和转移患者或 重型设备通常需要护士、外科医生或手术助手施加很大的力， 在极端/非中立姿势下进行，这可能导致随之而来的疼痛，受伤， 工作这导致人员减少，病人护理和结果不佳。需要新的 解决WMSD风险和手术团队成员受伤的解决方案。被动外骨骼技术 可以是一种干预，但有必要i）了解将新技术整合到 当前手术工作流程，以及ii）评估手术护理团队的技术功效。成果 这项研究将为外科手术团队采用外骨骼的最佳实践提供指导方针 并提供使用外骨骼的证据，以最大限度地减少护理团队中的WMSD，以方便患者护理 和安全性

PROJECT SUMMARY Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) due to overexertion continue to be among the top causes of occupational injuries, especially among surgical team members. Manual lifting and transferring of patients or heavy equipment often require high force applications by nurses, surgeons, or surgical assistants and are performed in extreme/non-neutral postures, which can lead to consequent pains, injuries, and days away from work. This contributes to reduced staffing and to poor patient care and outcomes. There is a need for new solutions to address WMSD risks and injuries among surgical team members. Passive exoskeleton technology can be an intervention, but there is a need to i) understand the feasibility of integrating novel technology into current surgical workflows, and ii) evaluate the efficacy of the technology for the surgical care team. Outcomes from this proposed research will provide guidelines for best practices of exoskeleton adoption for surgical teams and provide evidence of using exoskeletons to minimize WMSDs among the care team to facilitate patient care and safety.