Carers and manual handling: survey results

Background: There is limited literature specific to manual handling practices among informal carers, with most literature relating to nurses and paid carers. This study aimed to identify the current experiences and practices of informal carers in relation to manual handling and their perceived manual handling needs for this role. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study design utilising an online questionnaire was used to survey informal carers who were members of Carers NSW—an organisation for carers in New South Wales, Australia. Seventy-five returned surveys were eligible for inclusion. The data was analysed with descriptive statistics using JMP software (version 10.0.0). Findings: Respondents were predominantly female (74.7%), over 45 years of age (81.1%) and were on a pension (35.8%). Respondents carried out a variety of caring tasks; however, they used limited equipment and received active/interactive training (workshop and training from health professionals) more than passive training (written materials in brochures, books, websites and posters). Conclusions: The study provides information on the manual handling experiences and practices of informal carers. The information can be used by health professionals to develop specific education programmes or appropriate manual handling literature to assist informal carers with this role.