Navigating Expert Opinions on Best Practices During Manual Handling for Patient Positioning in Long-Term Care Settings

Patient manual handling during positioning is widely recognised to have low evidence-based practices, which exposes healthcare practitioners (HCPs) to a high risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs). This study assessed experts’ opinions regarding challenges and best practices during manual handling for patient positioning in long-term care settings. A semi-structured interview was conducted with purposively recruited subject experts in the UK (n=9; aged 30-62 years). Interviews focused on challenges in patient manual handling, experts’ ideas about best practices, and suggested solutions to persistent challenges, and data were analysed thematically. Major gaps in training and in key aspects of positioning were evident, including patient bed mobility, postural management, and turning patients into side-lying. Experts asserted that realistic and comprehensive training structured on optimised use of low-tech equipment such as wedges, breathable pillows, sliding systems, and sleep systems may be more effectively implemented for safer patient handling, even for single-handed care settings. This study provided a novel model and recommendations to optimise practices in patient bed mobility, posture care, repositioning and turning into side-lying, aimed at improving patient outcomes and mitigating occupational risks.