title: Associations between work-related musculoskeletal disorders, quality of life, and workplace stress in physical therapists.
abstract: This study was performed to determine the associations between work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), quality of life (QoL), and workplace stress among physical therapists (PTs) in South Korea. Self-reporting questionnaires were given to 855 PTs. Variables examined included general characteristics, WMSDs, QoL, and workplace stress. Of the 788 PTs who responded, 745 (94.5%) reported WMSDs affecting at least one body site. The most affected WMSDs site was the shoulder (23.3%), and the most reported number of body sites affected by WMSDs was one (50.9%). QoL was significantly improved (p<0.05) among PTs over 39 years old, who had 10-15 years of professional experience, worked in general/university hospitals, and had only one site affected by WMSDs. Factors influencing QoL included number of body sites affected by WMSDs, presence/absence of WMSDs, working venues, workplace stress, and age. Factors affecting workplace stress included number of body sites affected by WMSDs, QoL, work hours, and gender. The results showed a high prevalence of WMSDs among PTs in South Korea, and this negatively affected both QoL and workplace stress.
authors: Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Republic of Korea.
authors: Young-Hyeon
authors: YH
authors: Bae
authors: Kyoung Sam
authors: KS
authors: Min
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D059825:Physical Therapists; D011788:Quality of Life; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires