Musculosleketal risk assesment among nurses in pateint manual handling in hospital wards – a cross sectional study

Abstract

Objectives: To find out the percentage of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) among nurses and to perform a risk assessment of low back pain using the MAPO index in a tertiary care hospital. Methods and Material: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 25 full-time nurses, working in a tertiary care hospital. Self-reported musculoskeletal discomfort was identified using a 25 item questionnaire which included the Nordik Questionnaire. The investigators administered the Movement and Assistance of Hospital Patients (MAPO) index in order to perform risk assessment of low back pain. Results: Data was summarized using SPSS Version 14. Sixty-eight percent of the nurses reported work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Higher percentages of WRMSDs were more common among nurses who work with non-cooperative patients (71.42%) and semi-cooperative patients (75%). The major area of discomfort reported during activities of manual handling was the low back (44%). Years of experience among nurses also showed a strong positive correlation with WRMSDs. Risk stratification using MAPO index showed moderate to high risk for WRMSDs in all the hospital wards. Conclusions: Percentage of self-reported WRMSDs among nurses was 68%, which cannot be ignored and has to be addressed. Self-reported pain and discomfort were more prevalent in low back and was related to various factors like age of nurse, years of experience, type of patients handled, patient's assistance during the activity, and the type of ward. Evaluation using MAPO index showed that the nurses were exposed to moderate to high risk for WRMSDs.