title: Occupational low-back pain in nursing staff in a Greek hospital.
abstract: The prevalence of occupational low-back pain was investigated in 407 female nurses in a large tertiary health care unit in Athens, Greece. Work-related back pain within the previous 2 weeks was reported by 63% of respondents and within the previous 6 months by 67%. Prevalence was higher (66% in the previous 2 weeks) in the wards with physically heavy duties than in the rest (52%, P = 0.003), but all grades of nursing staff were affected equally. The specific factors which claimed to be responsible for causing back pain included moving heavy items (36%), lifting patients onto trolleys (32%) or in bed (29%), helping patients out of bed (24%) and bending to lift objects from the floor (24%). Absence from work because of back pain in the previous 2 weeks was reported by 28% of the sample.
authors.affiliation: Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vasiliadou
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Karvountzis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soumilas
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Roumeliotis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Theodosopoulou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D017770:Lifting; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence