Work posture of student midwives using frontal birth assistance techniques and examination of psychological burden-Comparison with experienced midwives-

Konishi, Kiyomi; Kumashiro, Masaharu; Hayashi, Izumi

doi:10.5100/jje.42.251

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Occupational hazards associated with attending childbirth pose a basic component of midwives' work. Their tasks are in part analogous to nurses' work and ergonomic threats of nursing occupations are equally serious [8]. Due to the above-mentioned hazards, while training midwives, an emphasis is put on performing occupational activities in positions close to ergonomic ones.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is classified as an industrial disease and factors which increase the risk of developing back pain are sedentary lifestyle and limited physical activity. In addition to this, performing occupational activities in unnatural body positions increases the risk of developing back pain [8,9]. Ergonomic working might prevent back pain [6], however, since it is impossible to eliminate all risk factors, limiting the most harmful factors and soothing the effects of others may be a solution.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Professional experience and ergonomic aspects of midwives’ work

Nowotny-Czupryna¹,

Naworska²,

Brzęk³

et al. 2012

International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

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Objectives:The most frequent manner of attending childbirth imposes on midwives assuming poor body position affecting the musculoskeletal system. Long professional experience does not mitigate the negative effects. The adopted movement habit, as well as the type, number and frequency of actions influence the body posture. The aim of the study was to identify ergonomic threats of basic occupational midwives activities and how particular spinal segments arrangements while attending childbirth using the same technique in senior midwives differ from those of junior ones. It was also checked whether pain influences the working position assumed by midwives. Materials and Methods: Examinations were conducted in 95 midwives aged 21-50 (X = 29.25±9.34): 51 graduates of BSc midwifery who worked 680 h in delivery rooms during obligatory practical classes and apprenticeship and 44 senior midwives with professional experience of 7-27 years (X = 14.84±5.98). The study was threefold. The spinal alignment while performing work activities associated with attending childbirth was assessed using the OWAS system and the SonoSens Monitor, the center of gravity projection on basal plane -using the AccuGait AMTI stabilometric platform. The measurements were taken during a simulation of attending childbirth (on examination model). A survey was conducted aimed at identifying spinal pain. Results: Midwives' working postures require unnatural body alignments. Postural instability in the working position and no maximal usage of basal plane were observed. The work overload may afflict the musculoskeletal system, which was confirmed by different pain discomforts in 67.3% of the examinees. Conclusions: Spinal alignment while attending childbirth is individually differentiated and in every case non-ergonomic. Identifying explicitly spinal overloads is difficult, but the most prevalent ones affect lumbar and cervical regions altogether. Spinal pain is frequently noted, both in junior and senior midwives, and is characteristic for midwives working in maximal movement ranges. occupational duties involve various tasks. Excluding those connected with nursing care it may be generalized that a continual and a recurrent component of their work is attending childbirth. A characteristic feature of midwives' work is the requirement of adopting a specific body position which has adverse effects on their musculoskeletal system. This motivates for seeking the causes of locomotor system overloads and finding possibilities to alleviate them. OBJECTIVESThe aim of the study was to identify ergonomic hazards associated with routine basic occupational activities performed by midwives and how particular spinal segments arrangements while attending childbirth using the same technique differ in senior midwives from those of the young graduates of BSc midwifery. It was also checked whether experiencing pain influences the working position of midwives. MATERIALS AND METHODSExaminations were conducted in 95 midwives aged 21-50 (X = 29.25±9.34). There were 51 g...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Professional experience and ergonomic aspects of midwives’ work

Nowotny-Czupryna¹,

Naworska²,

Brzęk³

et al. 2012

International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

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Birthing Support for Midwives and Mothers - Ergonomic Testing and Product Development

Nevala¹,

Ketola²

2012

TOERGJ

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Purpose: To further develop an ergonomic birthing support for increasing comfortable postures for midwives and mothers during deliveries. Methods and Results:First, the prototype of the birthing support and six birthing postures were tested with 8 midwives, 2 physicians, and 10 pregnant women in the last month of their pregnancy using visual analogue scales (VASs) and the System Usability Scale (SUS). According to the midwives and mothers, the best birthing postures were those with the mother sitting on the birthing support with the bed crosswise or the mother laying on her side on the bed with her leg on the birthing support. In the second stage of the study, 4 experts carried out an expert evaluation, and the company implemented several development points for the prototype. In the third stage, the developed birthing support was tested in 20 live births in two hospitals in Finland. The participants (n=28) were 8 midwives and 20 pregnant women. The work postures, musculoskeletal strain, and the midwives' ability to see the work object were analysed. The midwives worked more with a straight back and perceived lower physical strain when the birthing support was used than in the traditional deliveries. The use of the birthing support also provided a better view of the emerging baby and perineum.Conclusions: Use of the birthing support increased the adjustability of the midwives work environment and decreased their musculoskeletal exposure at work. The results of this study can be used in developing both the ergonomic work of midwives and comfortable birthing postures for mothers.

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Effects of the Menstrual Cycle on Working Memory: Comparison of Postmenstrual and Premenstrual Phases

Konishi

Kumashiro²,

Hayashi³

et al. 2008

Ind Health

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This study aimed to examine the effects on working memory of the postmenstrual and premenstrual phases. The subjects were 12 female students. Computer-based tasks formulated by the authors, using the working memory that actively retains the information as the index, were used for experiments of 60 min during the premenstrual and postmenstrual phases. Session order was counter-balanced. The results showed that there was a significantly lower error rate for working memory tasks in the premenstrual phase, suggesting that task performance was good. Mild premenstrual symptoms had no effect on working memory function of the premenstrual phase. Further, no clear difference in terms of phase was found for mental workload or change in heart rate variability, which are used to evaluate workload. For this reason, the estrogen sex hormone secreted from the ovaries in relation to the menstrual cycle is thought to be involved in the working memory function rather than the indefinite menstrual complaint.

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Work posture of student midwives using frontal birth assistance techniques and examination of psychological burden-Comparison with experienced midwives-

Cited by 4 publications

References 2 publications

Professional experience and ergonomic aspects of midwives’ work

Professional experience and ergonomic aspects of midwives’ work

Birthing Support for Midwives and Mothers - Ergonomic Testing and Product Development

Effects of the Menstrual Cycle on Working Memory: Comparison of Postmenstrual and Premenstrual Phases

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