An exploration of knowledge and practice of patient handling among undergraduate occupational therapy students

Purpose: To explore knowledge and practice relating to patient handling among final year occupational therapy students in the Republic of Ireland. Method: We conducted a survey of final year students in three out of four occupational therapy programs in the Republic of Ireland (n = 81). The survey measured students' knowledge of manual handling principles and techniques and explored their experiences and ability to apply this knowledge to clinical situations. Results: All students (n = 81) had undertaken training in patient handling. Just under half of students (n = 35, 43.2%) had received additional training outside of the university setting. Overall knowledge of safe patient handling principles techniques and risk assessment was low (Mean Score = 15.71/28; SD = 3.81). Participants who received additional training achieved a lower mean total score (M = 13.89, SD = 3.54) than those who only undertook university-based training (M = 18.11; SD = 2.66; t(79) = -5.87; p < 0.05). The majority of participants reported intermittent use of taught principles while on clinical practice placements (n = 50, 61.8%) Reasons for not using taught principles included; selection of alternative technique by supervisor (n = 30, 56.6%); lack of available equipment (n = 13, 24.5%) and lack of time (n = 13, 24.5%). Conclusions: While occupational therapy students in Ireland receive training in safe patient handling they appear to have limited knowledge of best practice and experience difficulties in applying their learning to clinical situations. There is an urgent need to consider the effectiveness of current educational strategies in this area. ▸ Implications for Rehabilitation • Safe patient handling is a key component in preventing musculoskeletal injury among rehabilitation professionals • The extent to which pre-professional training prepares rehabilitation professionals to practice safe patient handling is unclear • Occupational therapy students in this study had limited knowledge of safe patient handling and had difficulty applying their learning to clinical practice • Alternative education models are required to support development of safe patient handling skills. • Educators may wish to consider how safe patient handling can be embedded across curricula to avoid the challenges of once off instruction and massed practice.