Evaluation of Musculoskeletal Pain Among Nurses

Thursday, 25 July 2013: 1:35 PM

Asiye Gül, PhD
Midwifery, Faculty of Health Science, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
Hülya Üstündag, PhD
Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Istanbul Bilgi University, Istanbul, Turkey
Birsen Kahraman, MSc
Surgery, Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
Sevim Purisa, PhD
Biostatistics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey

Learning Objective 1: the learner will be able to the prevalence of pain related to musculoskeletal system among nurses.

Learning Objective 2: the learner will be able to know the most common areas of musculoskeletal pain

Evaluation of musculoskeletal pain among nurses

Purpose:

 The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of pain related to musculoskeletal system among nurses.

Methods:

 In a cross-sectional study, musculoskeletal pain was evaluated using the extended of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. A figure showing nine anatomical areas of the body used for the survey (neck, shoulders, upper and lower back, elbows, wrists/hands, hips/thighs, knees, and ankle/feet).  Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The logistic regression analysis was performed for identification of risk factors that may impact on pain. A significance level of 0.05 was set for the study.

Results:

 The main age of nurses in the study was 32.70±8.03. Two hundred seventeen, of whom 92.6% had MS pain in at least one body part, participated in the study. The respondent most often reported symptoms in the low back (66.4%), upper back (56.2%), neck (51.6%), and ankle/feet (44.7%). 56.2% reported low back pain during the past 12 months, and 48.8% during the past one month and past one week (32.7%). Being male (odds ratio (OR) 2.21, 95% Confident interval (CI)1.22-4.01) and increased body mass index (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.06-1.43) were the most important factors that increased pain complaints in at least one body part. Age wasn’t found to be related to musculoskeletal pain.

Conclusion:

In this study, musculoskeletal pain was very common among nurses. It is important to provide training about occupational risks. A need to implement preventive measures, early diagnosis, and exercise programs for nursing personnel.