Objectives. Healthcare workers are at risk of injury during patient handling activities. There is a lack of research in safe patient handling. The objective of this study was to examine the knowledge level of safe patient handling among Brazilian healthcare workers and to analyze its associated factors. Methods. This cross-sectional study was performed in two hospitals and 47 outpatient facilities with 644 participants in Brazil. Healthcare workers completed a self-administered questionnaire about their working characteristics, history of lower back pain and knowledge of safe patient handling. Results. The mean score of safe patient handling knowledge was 11.89 out of 22 maximum points. More than half (59%) of the participants did not see the risk of their activity. Educational level, type of healthcare facility and outpatient clinics were associated with safe patient handling knowledge in the logistic regression model. Conclusion. There was a substantial deficit in safe patient handling knowledge. There is a need for courses and textbooks to move beyond ineffective preventive strategies and minimize the risk of manual patient handling. Healthcare workers are at risk of injury during patient handling activities. Nursing schools in developing countries must focus on researching this topic to ensure safe patient handling.
Keywords: ergonomics; healthcare workers; lower back pain; moving and lifting patients; musculoskeletal pain; occupational health; preventive health.