Usefulness of a simulated experience method for transfer assistance for hemiplegia or limited range of motion in multiple joints.

The care recipient was a healthy adult male wearing braces to simulate disability, not a real person with hemiplegia or limited range of motion. Only 15 caregivers were in each group within each 30-participant study. The simulated experience method included several instructions and demonstrations at once, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. The outcome was immediate change in lower-limb load during a second transfer, not patient independence, fall risk, pain, or caregiver injury. Participants were nursing assistants in a Japanese nursing home setting, so results may not apply to other caregivers or countries. The authors note it may not work for patients with sensory impairment or higher brain dysfunction.

Funded by KAKENHI grant 17K17532; authors declare no competing interests.

Do not conclude that this method improves real patient transfers or reduces caregiver injury. The study measured a change in lower-limb load in a healthy adult male wearing braces, with only a second transfer after a 3-minute session.