Manual Handling Workload and Musculoskeletal Discomfort in Nursing Personnel
01 Jan 2001-
TL;DR: This paper presents a meta-analysis of the literature on screening for Musculoskeletal Disorders and results show that screening for WMSDs in nurses’ high-risk patient care units results is positive.
Abstract: iv Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Scope and Cost of Back Pain 2 Relationship of Musculoskeletal Pain to Workers’ Compensation Claims 3 Association with Strenuous Tasks 3 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature 6 Causes of Musculoskeletal Disorders 6 Body Parts Affected by WMSDs in Nursing 6 WMSD Risk Factors 6 Patient Handling and Movement Risk Factor Assessment 10 Patient Weight As Risk Factor 12 Assessing Risk 12 Exposure Assessment 16 Nursing Workload Measurement Systems 17 Risk Reduction Factors 19 Characteristics of James A. Haley VAMC High-Risk Patient Care Units 19 Screening for Musculoskeletal Disorders 20 Null Hypotheses 22 Definition of Terms 22 Chapter 3: Methods 27 Study Design 27 Sample and Sampling Procedures 27 Data Collection Procedures 28 Chapter 4: Results 30 Sample Size/Power Analysis 30 Data Analysis 30 Sample 30 Data Coding 32 Independent Variables 32
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TL;DR: Measuring the change in current back pain prevalence yields more timely information about the effectiveness of an ergonomic intervention than assessing injury incidence rates, because of the high percent of nursing staff members who work in pain but delay filing workers' compensation claims.
Abstract: 1. The problem of work related musculoskeletal disorders of the low back in nursing personnel has been well documented in the literature by cross sectional studies showing high prevalence rates in licensed nurses and nursing aides. However, it is difficult to compare findings among these studies because of the use of nonstandardized symptom surveys, variations in case definitions, and other methodological inconsistencies. 2. Measuring the change in current back pain prevalence yields more timely information about the effectiveness of an ergonomic intervention than assessing injury incidence rates, because of the high percent of nursing staff members who work in pain but delay filing workers' compensation claims. 3. As employers attempt to reduce manual handling injuries, occupational health nurses may be called upon to survey workers for musculoskeletal symptom prevalence and document the effectiveness of ergonomic interventions. Before using or developing any musculoskeletal disorder symptom survey for workplace surveillance or research, occupational health nurses should determine whether the survey has adequate reliability, validity, responsiveness, and practicality.
76 citations
Cites background from "Manual Handling Workload and Muscul..."
...Forty six studies, including the author's doctoral research (Menzel, 2001), were chosen for further review....
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22 citations
TL;DR: The prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorders among nurses was high in the study area and working in mal-positions, working in the same positions for long period of time, working with disoriented patients and bending or twisting back during work were identified associated factors.
Abstract: Background: Musculoskeletal disorders represent a significant occupational problem among nurses; however, there is paucity of information on work related musculoskeletal disorder among nurses in Ethiopia. Objective: To assess work related musculoskeletal disorders and associated factors among nurses working in Jimma Zone Public hospitals, South west Ethiopia. Methods: Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted in Jimma Zone public hospitals from March 12-27, 2015. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 333 participants. Data were analyzed by using binary logistic regression and Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals used to examine associations between dependent and independent variables. Results: The prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorders at any body site was 60.8% and the highest report 124 (67.8%) was seen in the lower back which was followed by the neck 44 (24%) and knees 43 (23.6%). Lifting and transferring dependent patients [AOR 2.1 (1.1-4.3)], giving wound care [AOR 4.2 (1.9-8.9)], working in medical ward [AOR 9.6 (2.4-38.3)] and Intensive care unit [AOR 3.4 (1.2-9.7)], working in mal-positions [AOR 9.7 (2.2-42.6)], working in the same positions for long period of time [AOR, 6.1 (1.3-28.7)], working with disoriented patients [AOR 2.6 ( 1.1-5.7) and bending or twisting back during work [AOR 5.1 (1.1-23.7)] were identified associated factors. Conclusion: The prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorders among nurses was high in the study area. Lifting and transferring dependent patients, giving wound care, working in medical ward and Intensive care unit, working in mal-positions, working in the same positions for long period of time, working with disoriented patients and bending or twisting back during work were identified associated factors.
6 citations
Journal Article•
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Journal Article•
TL;DR: Age and experience were significantly associated with musculoskeletal symptoms in the different body regions and the results indicated out of every 10 workers, in the last work week, seven reported complaints in the lower legs.
Abstract: Although Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) represents a common occupational problem, few epidemiological studies have investigated MSDs among industrial workers. MSDs are a common industrial health problem throughout the world and a serious cause of disability among the industrial workers.The goal of the study was to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms (ache, pain, or discomfort) among rubber workers in Iran, using the standard Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ). The study population consisted of 100 males with mean age 31.73. Out of every 10 workers, in the last work week, seven reported complaints in the lower legs. The results are also indicated age and experience were significantly associated with musculoskeletal symptoms in the different body regions.
4 citations
Cites background from "Manual Handling Workload and Muscul..."
...[21]; Nursing personnel [19]; Information Technology professionals [22]; Production assembly workers [23]; Dental students [24]; notebook computer users [25]....
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References
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TL;DR: Low-back pain seemed to be related to job strain, while symptoms from the neck and shoulders were to a greater extent related to relational and emotional factors.
Abstract: Objectives This study explored the relationship between psychosocial work environment and the musculoskeletal pain among health care personnel. Materials and methods Ninety registered nurses and nurse's aides working in different hospitals in or just outside Stockholm and working in different kinds of care constituted the study group. Data were collected by means of questionnaires, including questions about symptoms (low-back pain, pain in the neck, and pain in the shoulders), the perception of social support from co-workers and superiors, conflicts, feelings of isolation, poor relations with superiors, psychological demands, authority over decisions, and skill utilization (job-strain factors). Results An ordinal univariate logistic regression analysis showed that psychological demands, authority over decisions, skill utilization, and support at work had a statistically significant effect on symptoms from the lower back, while symptoms from the neck and shoulders were related to support at work only. When support at work and job strain were entered into a multivariate logistic regression model, a difference in the patterns of associations between low-back pain and symptoms from the neck and shoulders was found. Symptoms from the back were significantly related to job strain -- the higher the strain, the more symptoms in the low back. Symptoms from the neck and shoulders on the other hand were more associated with social support at work -- the lower the support score the more severe the symptoms. Conclusion Low-back pain seemed to be related to job strain, while symptoms from the neck and shoulders were to a greater extent related to relational and emotional factors.
179 citations
TL;DR: Reliability and validity of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire were found to be acceptable for the purposes of workplace ergonomics programs and implications for use of these surveys for prevention and treatment outcomes research are discussed.
Abstract: Symptom surveys have been used extensively as part of workplace ergonomic screening programs and epidemiologic assessments of musculoskeletal disorders in groups of workers. This paper examines the reliability and validity of two musculoskeletal symptom surveys, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and a survey used in conjunction with epidemiologic assessments by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Journal articles assessing the validity and reliability of the NMQ were reviewed. A retrospective assessment combining two NIOSH cohorts with a total of 852 workers assessed the reliability and validity of that survey. Reliability was assessed through test-retest methods and interitem correlations between similar questions. Validity was assessed by comparison with results from physical examination assessments of workers and self-reports of workers seeking medical care. Both reliability and validity were found to be acceptable for the purposes of workplace ergonomics programs. Implications for use of these surveys for prevention and treatment outcomes research are discussed.
175 citations
TL;DR: The functional and clinical burdens of low back pain in this population of rural elderly were substantial and require further evaluation of risk factors and impact on health status.
Abstract: As part of an interview survey of a defined population of 3,097 rural persons 65 years and older (the Iowa 65 + Rural Health Study), the prevalence and functional correlates of specifically defined low back pain were studied. Low back pain was reported by 23.6 per cent of the women and 18.4 per cent of the men in the year prior to the survey, with prevalence rates declining with age. Forty per cent of those with low back pain noted its presence at the time of the interview. Over half had used analgesics. Use of medical and chiropractic services for this symptom was nearly 75 per cent; 25 per cent had at least one hospitalization directly related to low back pain and over 5 per cent had low back surgery. Limitation of walking, sitting, bending over, and performing household chores was reported by 15 to 40 per cent, and 21 per cent attributed sleep disturbance to the low back pain. Nearly 75 per cent of subjects with low back pain reported first onset of the problem prior to age 65, which has important implications for pathogenesis and prevention. The functional and clinical burdens of low back pain in this population of rural elderly were substantial and require further evaluation of risk factors and impact on health status.
173 citations
Additional excerpts
...…Hagberg, & Hjelm, 1995; Patenaude & Sommer, 1987), genetics (Gold, 1994), height (Dehlin, Hedenrud, & Horal, 1976; Kerr et al. (2001)) muscular strength (Kilbom, 1988), age (Kelsey & Golden, 1988; Lagerstrom, Wenemark, Hagberg, & Hjelm, 1995; Lavsky-Shulan et al., 1985), and stress (Hawkins, 1987)....
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...(2001)) muscular strength (Kilbom, 1988), age (Kelsey & Golden, 1988; Lagerstrom, Wenemark, Hagberg, & Hjelm, 1995; Lavsky-Shulan et al., 1985), and stress (Hawkins, 1987)....
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TL;DR: The results show that each of the models can be used to predict both the incidence and severity of certain overexertion types of injuries such as contact, musculoskeletal and back injuries.
Abstract: This paper summarizes a three year epidemiological study conducted in five large industrial plants in order to evaluate the validity of two alternative modeling approaches to overexertion injury prediction. Detailed biomechanical and psychophysical job evaluations were performed for 55 industrial jobs comprised of 2934 potentially stressful manual materials handling tasks. The medical experiences of 6912 incumbent workers were monitored retrospectively for two years and prospectively for one year to establish a data base for comparison of the different models. The results show that each of the models can be used to predict both the incidence and severity of certain overexertion types of injuries such as contact, musculoskeletal and back injuries. The application of these models to identify or design administrative and engineering controls, however, may be limited as a result of the inherent correlation between the available indices and multifaceted jobs.
162 citations
"Manual Handling Workload and Muscul..." refers background in this paper
...High-Risk (1st Level) Tasks and Patients’ Weights In accordance with the finding of Herrin et al. (1986) that the most stressful tasks in a job are the most predictive of WMSDs, at-risk tasks were categorized into three risk groups: high, medium, and lower....
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TL;DR: The results suggest that training in the indications for and use of mechanical devices for lifting/transferring patients requires intensification, and a 'warm-up' period should also be considered in the face of injuries occurring early in the shift if work activities cannot be evenly planned.
Abstract: Two years of prospective data on 416 back injuries were gathered at a 1100-bed acute and tertiary care hospital to assist target prevention efforts. The rate of injury among 1645 nurses was found to be highest for those working on orthopaedic, medicine, neurology, spinal and surgery wards, indicating priorities for prevention. In fact, 51% of the orthopaedic nurses sustained at least one back injury during the two-year period. Gender did not significantly affect the risk of back injury; however, injuries were slightly more common in nurses with less seniority and younger nurses were found to be at significantly increased risk of back injury. Almost 63% of the back injuries which occurred in nurses working 8 h shifts on the high-risk wards occurred during the first two hours of the shift. Lifting and transferring patients with assistance were the two most common mechanisms for back injury (22.6% and 23.3%, respectively). In total, injured nurses attributed 52.3% of their injuries to inadequate training; inadequate staffing was given as the primary reason for 13.8% of the injuries. The results suggest that training in the indications for and use of mechanical devices for lifting/transferring patients requires intensification, and a 'warm-up' period should also be considered in the face of injuries occurring early in the shift if work activities cannot be evenly planned.
158 citations