Quantitative Characterization of Upper Limb Intensity and Symmetry of Use in Healthcare Workers Using Wrist-Worn Accelerometers

Due to the continuous and prolonged exposure to highly physically demanding tasks, healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk to develop low back and upper limb (UL) musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Since repetitiveness and movement asymmetries have been hypothesized to play an important role on the development of UL-MSD, in this study we propose an approach based on the use of wearable accelerometers to quantitatively characterize the main features of UL use during actual working tasks. To this aim, we tested thirty full-time professional HCWs which operate in wards characterized by different profiles of risk assessed using the “Movement and Assistance of Hospital Patients” (MAPO) technique. During a regular shift day, their activity was simultaneously monitored both using wrist-worn accelerometers and direct visual observation. Accelerations were processed to calculate severalmetrics associatedwith intensity and symmetry of use of UL. The results showed that among the daily routine activities, patient hygiene requires the most intense use of the UL,while meal distribution is the most asymmetrical. The knowledge of intensity and asymmetry of UL use associated to specific working tasks might represent a useful tool to highlight potentially harmful condition and plan suitable ergonomic interventions.