Lifting the lid on the attitudes towards hospital aids

IOM have published three research papers uncovering the attitudes people have to mechanical lifting aids within hospitals. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), including manual handling injuries are the commonest type of occupational illness in the UK. Back pain and other MSDs account for about 40% of all sickness absence in the NHS. Specialist lifting devices are an important tool in helping patients and preventing injuries to nurses and other healthcare professionals in UK hospitals.

IOM's research papers were instrumental in describing the attitude people have towards lifting aids and helped the NHS understand how they could start to tackle the £400 million cost caused by sickness absence from staff suffering musculoskeletal disorders.