Renewing Ergonomic Education for Health Care Students in European HEIs

The RENE project is set to improve and unify the education on patient handling in the health care sector. Workplace safety issues and the use of risk management tools, proper communication with the patient and the knowhow and skills on correct handling techniques are central in managing patient handling in changing environments and situations. According to national and international statistics, the healthcare staff has a very high risk of musculoskeletal disorders, derived mainly from poor manual patient handling practices. This highlights the need for proper focus on patient handling already in Bachelor level studies. The project aims to develop and standardize an international course on patient handling and promotes internationalization of health care students. One of the aims is also to raise awareness of patient handling in a safe and rehabilitating way in the field of health care. The RENE project is based on three phases; ‘Analysing the conditions’, which will work as a basis for the second phase ‘Developing the SAPHA course’ (SAPHA – Patient handling in a safe and rehabilitating way), and the ‘Handbook’, which will be designed to support the practical implementation of the developed course and is directed at teachers. The handbook (printed and especially the e-version) will act as a tool for sustainability, ensuring that the project’s results remain available after the project has ended.