Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of two training programs on the reduction of injuries from manual handling of patients in five hospitals under the district of Ferrara.
Materials and methods: We analyzed injuries that occurred between 2002 and 2010. In 2004/2005 and 2008/2010 the health-care workers underwent to two different training programs. In 2007, the hospitals purchased assistive devices.
Results: In 2006 there were 82 accidents. After the acquisition of the assistive devices (2007) and the new training program (2008/2010), the accidents dropped to 32.
Conclusions: The results highlight the effectiveness of the combined training programs and assistive devices in reducing the number of accidents.