Abstract
This descriptive study aimed to elucidate the relationship between nurses' body movements, their method of using their hands when moving patients and patients' feeling of comfort when being repositioned from a supine to a lateral position. The subjects were 11 female nursing students. Measurements involved using pressure indicating sensor film to measure the pressure of the nurse's hands, and a measurement of the flexion angle of the nurse's elbow and trunk along with the proportion of their vertical movement. The subjective reactions of the patient role-player were also recorded and analyzed. The results showed that the students applied pressure primarily at the fingertip of the middle finger. Pressure distribution at the finger joints revealed three patterns: the fingertips, the base of the fingers, and the whole palm of the hand. The trunk flexion angle and the elbow angle were smallest for the fingertip pressure pattern compared to the others, but vertical movement was large. It may be that when changing the patient position, the student nurses extended their arms and applied pressure through their fingertips. The patients' subjective reaction exhibited more discomfort or anxiety for the fingertip pressure pattern. It was assumed that when a patient's position was changed with the nurse's elbow straightened, pressure was applied easily through the fingertips.
