Affiliations: University of Wisconsin--LaCrosse, LaCrosse, WI 54601,
USA | Program Coordinator, Rehab Care Group/Lutheran home
campus, 425 North Badger Street, Caledonia, MN 55921, USA | Rusk County Memorial Hospital, 900 College Avenue
West, Ladysmith, WI 54848, USA | MJ Care/Birch Hill Health Care Center, 1475 Birch Hill
Lane, Shawano, WI, 54166, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Robin McCannon OTR/MS, Assistant
Professor in Occupational Therapy, University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse,
Occupational Therapy Program, 1725 State Street, 4043 HSC, LaCrosse, WI USA.
Tel.: +1 608 785 5063; Fax: +1 608 785 6647; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: This longitudinal study evaluated the learning and retention of
task-specific training during the subjects' classroom performance of a
one-person pivot transfer. Twelve subjects were videotaped completing the
transfer (pretest). The subjects then participated in a two-hour training
session. One week later (posttest 1), and one year later (posttest 2) the
subjects were videotaped again. A checklist was used to analyze the videotapes.
A one-way ANOVA with repeated measures revealed that there was a statistically
significant difference between the tests (F = 243.73, p-value < 0.0001). A
post hoc analysis (Bonferroni procedure) indicated that the posttest 1 scores
(mean = 13, SD = 0.40) were significantly higher than the pretest scores (mean
= 2.96, SD = 0.39) indicating an improved score on the checklist. There was no
significant difference between the scores of posttest 1 and posttest 2 (mean =
12.79, SD = 0.60) indicating that subjects continued to perform the task with
proper body mechanics one year post training.
Keywords: body mechanic training, injury prevention, occupational therapy
