Assessment of the risk associated with the manual patient handling in nursing staff of a hospital network in Colombia

Objective: To describe the risk derived from the manual patient handling in the nursing staff of two hospitals—in inpatient areas, intermediate care unit, intensive care unit, coronary care unit, and emergency room—of tertiary and secondary levels of care in Bogotá, Colombia. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study. The level of biomechanical risk was assessed using the Movement and Assistance of Hospital Patients (MAPO) method by occupational health and safety professionals of the institutions, in eight areas, with 413 health workers (117 professionals and 296 nursing assistants) who performed manual handling for 796 patients. Results: A high level of risk (> 5) was identified in all the assessed areas, with the exception of the coronary care service (medium risk), with the main risk factors being those related to partially cooperating or totally non-cooperating patients, and the need for training in the handling of minor and lifting aids. In the tertiary care hospital, a high level of risk was identified, especially in the hospitalization area (MAPO index: 22.75), the intermediate care unit (MAPO index: 9.50), and the emergency room (MAPO index: 12.90). Conclusions: Nursing professionals and assistants in the different healthcare areas are exposed to a high biomechanical risk due to the manual handling of patients who require immediate intervention strategies. Therefore, it is necessary to guarantee the continuity of the interventions implemented, their follow-up, and the training concerning them.