The effect of occupational socialization on nurses' patient handling practices

• Back injury is widely considered an occupational hazard of nursing work. • Manual handling of patients has been implicated in the development of back injury in nursing. • Legislation has been in place in the UK since 1992 that should have addressed factors implicated in the development of back injury, such as manual handling of patients. • Nurses' patient handling practices have been slow to change in line with this legislation. • This can be explained in part by a lack of training and resources required for change. • However, nurses' attitudes and beliefs about patient handling, and the culture into which new nurses are socialized, may play a significant role in hindering changes in patient handling practice.