Body Stressing Injury Risk Assessment Using Wearable Technology and Data Analysis in Healthcare
Outcome: 40% reduction in overall injury risk by implementing movement techniques for high-load tasks identified through wearable tech
The healthcare industry has the second highest rate of body-stressing injuries, with 20% of the total number of body-stressing injuries that occurred in the U.S. in 2019. The industry also has the second-highest rate of slip, trip, and fall injuries, with 21% of total slip, trip, and fall injuries in 2019. The median recovery time for injured healthcare workers is 6 weeks, having a significant impact on productivity and increasing costs.
In 2018, a trial program was conducted to assess how a wearable technology, smartphone app, and data analytics platform could assist in assessing and reducing avoidable body stressing injury risks.
Trial Objective
Use wearable technology and data analysis to understand the physical demands of various healthcare workers in the healthcare industry and identify opportunities to reduce injury risks.
Method
Measure the movements of a selected group over a three-month period using Work Task Assessments and Movement Coaching. In the study, 59 reports were recorded among 17 different workers and three hospital departments.
Results
The overall injury risk was reduced by 40% by implementing movement techniques for high-load tasks that were identified through wearable technology.
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