Exoskeleton research to assess benefits to healthcare staff

European InerReg-funded project in three countries to test the potential to reduce injury risk for nurses, therapists and carers

A European research project has been launched to assess the potential for exoskeleton supports to benefit nurses, carers and allied healthcare workers such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

The study is funded by the EU's InterReg North-West Europe with academics and clinicians in Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands taking part.

The Musculoskeletal Disorder Care project (MSD-CARE) aims to improve the working conditions of healthcare staff, to reduce the risk of disorders and injury and to support nursing staff and other healthcare workers in their daily work through the application of exoseketons.

The researchers are also seeking to identify the facilitating factors and barriers to the use of exoskeletons in healthcare settings and offer practical solutions.

Health and safety studies have highlighted that the risk of musculoskeletal disorders is 1.6 times higher for healthcare staff than those working in other sectors.

Professor Georgina Gethin, Professor in Nursing and Midwifery at University of Galway, said:"Nurses involved in direct patient care are subject to physically demanding tasks and suffer a higher rate of musculoskeletal problems than other healthcare workers. This can have significant impact not only on their health but also on their ability to stay in their chosen profession. Any intervention that can help to highlight the issue of musculoskeletal disorders and find solutions to their prevention are a welcome development. In principle they could be a great asset it is important to know just how practical they would be in a busy work environment and how acceptable they would be to workers. We look forward to delivering on this for nurses and other healthcare workers."

The study is being led by the University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK), Lower Saxony, Germany, in partnership with University of Galway and Roessingh Research and Development in the Netherlands. The project is under the direction of Professor Dr Shiney Franz of the Göttingen Health Campus, a cooperation between HAWK and the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG).

Professor Franz said:"Involving exoskeletons in healthcare has high potential benefits for both patients and professionals. Our assumption is that wearing exoskeletons during activities such as mobilization or transfer of patients could improve the working conditions of care professionals and enhance patient safety. In this project, we aim to identify the working conditions in nursing that enable the integration of exoskeletons into the existing workflow taking in account the care plan and goals."

Funding of more than €657,000 has been provided to the research partnership under Interreg North-West Europe.

A new exoskeleton research laboratory at the Göttingen Health Campus (GCG) is being used, where carers can test their daily work and routines with and without an exoskeleton, under the guidance of researchers. State-of-the-art analysis tools will be used, such as electromyography and respiratory gas analysis to determine the effects of exoskeletons on muscle activity and breathing.

Focus groups will also be held in Ireland and in the Netherlands to identify barriers and facilitators of the use of exoskeletons for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders.

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