The physical workload of nursing personnel: association with musculoskeletal discomfort.
Direct care-nursing personnel around the world report high numbers of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. This cross-sectional study examined the association between the performance of high-risk patient-handling tasks and self-reported musculoskeletal discomfort in 113 nursing staff members in a veterans' hospital within the United States. Sixty-two percent of subjects reported a 7-day prevalence of moderately severe musculoskeletal discomfort. There was a significant association between wrist and knee pain and the number of highest-risk patient-handling tasks performed per hour interacting with the load lifted. On units where lifting devices are readily available, musculoskeletal risk may have shifted to the wrist and knee.
Department of Health Care Environments and Systems, College of Nursing, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100187, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. nmenzel@nursing.ufl.edu
Nancy N
NN
Menzel
Stuart M
SM
Brooks
Thomas E
TE
Bernard
Audrey
A
Nelson
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006804:Ergonomics; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D017770:Lifting / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013996:Time and Motion Studies; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*