title: Relationship between mental workload and musculoskeletal disorders among Alzahra Hospital nurses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a serious problem among the nursing staff. Mental workload is the major cause of MSDs among nursing staff. The aim of this study was to investigate the mental workload dimensions and their association with MSDs among nurses of Alzahra Hospital, affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.
  
  
  METHODS
  This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 247 randomly selected nurses who worked in the Alzahra Hospital in Isfahan, Iran in the summer of 2013. The Persian version of National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) (measuring mental load) specialized questionnaire and Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ) was used for data collection. Data were collected and analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient and Spearman correlation coefficient tests in SPSS 20.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pearson and Spearman correlation tests showed a significant association between the nurses' MSDs and the dimensions of workload frustration, total workload, temporal demand, effort, and physical demand (r = 0.304, 0.277, 0.277, 0.216, and 0.211, respectively). However, there was no significant association between the nurses' MSDs and the dimensions of workload performance and mental demand (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The nurses' frustration had a direct correlation with MSDs. This shows that stress is an inseparable component in hospital workplace. Thus, reduction of stress in nursing workplace should be one of the main priorities of hospital managers.
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Occupational Health, Faculty of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ehsanollah
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Habibi
authors.affiliation: Master of Science, Department of Occupational Health, Alzahra University Hospital, affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohamad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Taheri
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
authors.forename: Akbar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hasanzadeh
keywords: Iran; National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index; musculoskeletal disorders; nurses