Designing Trousers to Limit the Burden on Upper Limbs of Non-professional Care Givers while Providing Nursing Care

Abstract

In this research, movements of the upper limbs of caregivers when putting on / removing the dummy's nursing care clothes with different designs were measured using electromyography (EMG) and video filming. Caregivers' sensory assessments of the burden caused by their services were also investigated to determine how the physiological burden in the upper limbs and sensation of burden relate to each other. The subjects were 10 healthy women. None of the women had ever provided nursing care to anyone. For this experiment, four kinds of samples were used. By combining EMG and questionnaires, it was possible to quantify the burden on the upper limbs, which cannot be assessed solely according to work time. Differences in the workload associated with trousers having different designs were also studied. It is possible that by taking such an approach, nursing care clothes may be developed in such a way to further reduce the burden on caregivers while providing nursing care.