Mechanical Mobility-Assist Devices and Ergonomic Programs in Nursing Homes for Preventing Staff Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background:
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common among nursing-home staff and are strongly linked to resident handling, transfers, and repositioning. Mechanical mobility-assist devices and ergonomic safe resident-handling programs are widely implemented, but nursing-home–specific effectiveness remains variably reported.
Methods:
PubMed was searched from inception to September 2024 for English-language human studies in nursing homes or comparable long-term care facilities. Clinical trials, controlled before–after studies, and cohort evaluations reporting staff MSD outcomes were eligible; risk of bias was assessed using design-appropriate checklists and results were synthesized narratively.
Results:
Eleven studies were included. A nursing-home best-practices program reduced workers’ compensation claims (rate ratio 0.39; 95% CI 0.29–0.55), recordable injuries (0.54; 95% CI 0.40–0.73), and first reports of injury (0.65; 95% CI 0.50–0.84). Ceiling-lift interventions reduced lifting/transferring injuries by 58% per 100,000 work-hours (p=0.011) with reported payback periods of 0.82–2.50 years, and in a cluster trial (n=594) low back pain days decreased by 0.8 (95% CI −1.19 to −0.38) and worst-pain intensity by 0.4 points (95% CI −0.60 to −0.26) on a 0–10 scale; observational follow-up showed frequent lift use was protective (RR 0.39; 95% CI 0.18–0.84) and physical workload decreased by 24% among nursing assistants.
Conclusions:
Benefits were most consistent when devices were embedded within sustained ergonomic programs ensuring availability, competency-based training, maintenance, and monitoring