SAFE PATIENT HANDLING AND MOVEMENT Ergonomic Tool #4. Solutions for Prolonged Standing
Softer floors are more comfortable for the lower back and lower extremities and less fatiguing compared to hard floors.225
Alternat-
ing propping a foot on the footstool, using an anti-fatigue mat, wearing supportive footwear, and using a sit-stand stool decrease the effects of static posture.225
Use of a sit-stand stool per-
mits flexibility in body positions. The flexibility increases the number of muscles used during prolonged standing tasks and distributes the load on different body parts. The redistribution reduces the strain on individual muscles and joints that are maintaining the body in a static posture, improves blood flow, and decreases muscle fatigue.225
6.7.2
Use anti-fatigue mats to cover hard floor- ing materials and standing stools.64,225 [Recommendation] Flexible flooring materials (eg, wood, carpet- ing) are not a practicable solution to provide a safer standing surface in the perioperative envi-
ronment. Wood floors and carpeting cannot be cleaned and disinfected. Anti-fatigue mats pro- vide a softer, more elastic surface to counteract the effects of prolonged standing. The design of anti-fatigue mats cause a slight postural sway that produces a minor activation of the leg mus- cles, thereby improving blood flow of the lower extremities and reducing the pooling of blood.225 In a prospectively randomized study, Haramis
et al239
examined the comfort level of the surgi- cal team during 100 consecutive laparoscopic renal procedures. The procedures were ran- domized to being performed with (n = 50) or without (n = 50) a foot gel pad. The participants were five attending physicians, six urology res- idents, two minimally invasive urology fellows, and five scrub nurses. The participants answered questionnaires before, immediately after, and 24 hours after the surgery.
In the preoperative period, there were no differences in the participants’ comfort levels between the two groups. In the immediate
