Work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Turkish hospital nurses

Abstract

Objective: To deter mine the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMD) and the related factors in Turkish nurses. Material and Methods: The sample consis ted of 2400 nurses working at hospitals in Istanbul. The study was conducted between January and May in 2008. A cross-sectional survey de sign was used. Data were collected by a questionnaire including personal, occupational variables, and WRMD. Results: Twelve-month preva lence was 79.5%. The highest prevalen ce was recorded for the lo wer back (49.7%), followed by shoulders (38%), and neck (35%). Nurses working in intensive care units were likely to suffer from WRMD more when com-pared to other nurses. The most common factors that led to or worsened WRMD were heavy lifting (92.3%), prolonged standing (89.8%), and bending (64.8%). Seventy percent of nurses with WRMD had visited a doctor, 47% took sick-day medical report, 4% of nurses repor ted that WRMD symptoms made them to modify the irdu ties, and 32% of nurses reported that they would like to leave the occupati on. Conclusion: This study sup ports that nurses in Tur key suf fer from symptoms of WRMD due to work-re lated factors similar to their counter parts elsewhere. There sults may contribute to plans for preventative strategies aga inst WRMD in Turkey. © 2010 by Türkiye Klinikleri.