title: Working postures and physical activity among registered nurses.
abstract: Nurses report a high prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort, particularly of the low back and neck/shoulder. This study characterized the full-shift upper arm and trunk postures and movement velocities of registered nurses using inertial measurement units (IMUs). Intensity of occupational physical activity (PA) was also ascertained using a waist-worn PA monitor and using the raw acceleration data from each IMU. Results indicated that nurses spent a relatively small proportion of their work time with the arms or trunk in extreme postures, but had few opportunities for rest and recovery in comparison to several other occupational groups. Comparisons between nurses in different PA groups suggested that using a combination of accelerometers secured to several body locations may provide more representative estimates of physical demands than a single, waist-worn PA monitor. The findings indicate a need for continued field-based research with larger sample sizes to facilitate the development of maximally effective intervention strategies.
authors: Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Auburn University, 3301 Shelby Center for Engineering Technology, Auburn, AL, USA. Electronic address: mark-schall@eng.auburn.edu.
authors: Mark C
authors: MC
authors: Schall
authors: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
authors: Nathan B
authors: NB
authors: Fethke
authors: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
authors: Howard
authors: H
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001132:Arm / Q000502:physiology; D001415:Back / Q000502:physiology; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009333:Neck / Q000502:physiology; D009726:Nurses; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011187:Posture; D012782:Shoulder / Q000502:physiology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D060726:Torso / Q000502:physiology; D014937:Work / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Inertial measurement unit; Low back; Musculoskeletal disorders; Physical activity; Posture; Shoulder