2-Explain Why The Demonstrated Increase In Knowledge Is Improvement In Training

partially explain why the demonstrated increase in knowledge does not necessarily mean improvement in behaviour and symptoms. Both physiotherapy and industry assume that improved knowledge will result in a commensurate reduction in the rate or severity of injury. In the light of the available studies, this assumption is probably not justifiable, and certainly does not vindicate education as the only injury prevention strategy. The assumption that correct patient handling effectively prevents WMSDs is exemplified by the use of the adjective “proper” to describe lifting or patient handling techniques (Mierzejewski and Kumar 1997, Molumphy et al 1985). This supposition operates widely in the area of manual handling, where physiotherapists are
The training program targets deficiencies in the individual to reduce the discrepancy. This guideline addresses the issue of a mismatch between the physical capability of the physiotherapist and the physical demands of the job. Selection to prevent injury assumes that some workers are more at risk than others due to prior history, fitness or physical ability. It is based on knowledge of the demands of the job, and excludes workers deemed to be at high risk of injury, to ensure that only individuals with a low risk are selected for the job. The basis for screening in this way is work done by Keyserling et al (1980) who found that when the demands of the job exceeded the capacity of the workers, they experienced significantly higher injury rates. There is some conflict in the findings of prospective studies using selection as a preventive strategy (Bigos et al 1992, Reimer et al 1994, Smedley et al 1997), with one (Bigos et al) suggesting that pre-employment screening is ineffective in predicting back injury, and the other two suggesting that screening may be useful in