title: Intensity of musculoskeletal pain and (in) ability to work in nursing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  the aim was to evaluate the association between the intensity of musculoskeletal pain and reduction in work ability among nursing workers.
  
  
  METHODS
  a cross-sectional study, involving 592 nursing staff in a public university hospital in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The Brazilian version of the Finnish questionnaire for calculating Work Ability Index was used, whose score varies from 7 to 49 points. The score was dichotomized as reduced work ability (7 to 36 points) and good/excellent ability (37 to 49 points). The intensity of musculoskeletal pain over the previous week was evaluated, using a numerical pain scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  43.3% of the participants had reduced work ability and 48.8% reported strong to unbearable pain. Even after adjusting for potentially confounding factors (function and length of service in the function), the workers who mentioned strong to unbearable pain were four times more likely to be classified in the group with reduced work ability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A positive association was determined between intensity of musculoskeletal pain and reduction in work ability. It is necessary to adopt intervention measures in the organizational structure, so as to promote/restore work ability.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brazil. tmagnago@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Tânia Solange Bosi de Souza
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Magnago
authors.forename: Ana Cláudia Soares
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Lima
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prochnow
authors.forename: Marinez Diniz da Silva
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Ceron
authors.forename: Juliana Petri
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Tavares
authors.forename: Janete de Souza
authors.initials: Jde S
authors.lastname: Urbanetto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009729:Nursing; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014937:Work; D055815:Young Adult