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      Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Nurses in Ibadan, South-west Nigeria: a cross-sectional survey

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          Abstract

          Background

          Musculoskeletal disorders represent a significant occupational problem among nurses; however, data on musculoskeletal health of nurses in Sub-Sahara Africa are sparse. This study sought to determine the lifetime, 12-months period and point prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs); the associated job risk factors and the coping strategies toward reducing the risk among nurses from selected hospitals in Ibadan, South-west Nigeria

          Methods

          A previously validated self administered questionnaire which sought information on demographics, prevalence and pattern of WMSDs, associated job risk factors and coping strategies was employed as the survey instrument. A total of 160 questionnaires were distributed to nurses in the different hospitals but 128 questionnaires were returned yielding an 80% response rate. 10 of the returned questionnaires were excluded because of incomplete data.

          Results

          Eighty-four point four percent of the nurses have had WMSDs once or more in their occupational lives. The 12-months period and point prevalence rate of WMSDs at any body region was 78% and 66.1% respectively. WMSDs occurred mostly in low back (44.1%), neck (28.0%), and knees (22.4%). 30.3% treated themselves or had visited other health practitioners for care. Nurses with > 20 years of clinical experience are about 4 times more likely to develop WMSDs (OR 3.81; CI 1.08-13.4) than those with 11-20 years experience. Working in the same positions for long periods (55.1%), lifting or transferring dependent patients (50.8%) and treating an excessive number of patients in one day (44.9%) were the most perceived job risk factors for WMSDs. Getting help in handling heavy patients (50.4%), modification of nursing procedures in order to avoid re-injury (45.4%), and modifying patient's/nurse position (40.3%) were the top three coping strategies.

          Conclusions

          A high proportion of Nigerian nurses reported WMSDs at some body site in their occupational lives with the low back being injured most often. Education programmes on prevention and coping strategies for musculoskeletal disorders are recommended for nurses in order to reduce the rate of occupational hazards and also promote efficiency in patient care.

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          Most cited references38

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          Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: the epidemiologic evidence and the debate.

          The debate about work-relatedness of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) reflects both confusion about epidemiologic principles and gaps in the scientific literature. The physical ergonomic features of work frequently cited as risk factors for MSDs include rapid work pace and repetitive motion, forceful exertions, non-neutral body postures, and vibration. However, some still dispute the importance of these factors, especially relative to non-occupational causes. This paper addresses the controversy with reference to a major report recently commissioned by the US Congress from the National Research Council (NRC) and Institute of Medicine (IOM) (2001). The available epidemiologic evidence is substantial, but will benefit from more longitudinal data to better evaluate gaps in knowledge concerning latency of effect, natural history, prognosis, and potential for selection bias in the form of the healthy worker effect. While objective measures may be especially useful in establishing a more secure diagnosis, subjective measures better capture patient impact. Examination techniques still do not exist that can serve as a "gold standard" for many of the symptoms that are commonly reported in workplace studies. Finally, exposure assessment has too often been limited to crude indicators, such as job title. Worker self-report, investigator observation, and direct measurement each add to understanding but the lack of standardized exposure metrics limits ability to compare findings among studies. Despite these challenges, the epidemiologic literature on work-related MSDs-in combination with extensive laboratory evidence of pathomechanisms related to work stressors-is convincing to most. The NRC/IOM report concluded, and other reviewers internationally have concurred, that the etiologic importance of occupational ergonomic stressors for the occurrence of MSDs of the low back and upper extremities has been demonstrated.
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            The nature of work-related neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders.

            The nature of work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the neck and upper limbs is reviewed using both scientific data and the consensus view of experts, union bodies and government agencies across the European Union. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders describe a wide range of inflammatory and degenerative diseases and disorders. These conditions result in pain and functional impairment and may affect, besides others, the neck, shoulders, elbows, forearms, wrists and hands. They are work-related when the work activities and work conditions significantly contribute to their development or exacerbation but are not necessarily the sole determinant of causation. The classification and the need for standardised diagnostic methods for assessment of neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders are reviewed. These disorders are a significant problem within the European Union with respect to ill health, productivity and associated costs. The pathomechanisms of musculoskeletal disorders affecting tendons, ligaments, nerves, muscle, circulation and pain perception are reviewed and conceptual models for the pathogenesis of musculoskeletal disorders affecting the neck and upper limbs are presented. The epidemiological evidence on the work-relatedness of these disorders is discussed. A relationship between the performance of work and the occurrence of neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders is evident. Intervention strategies in the workplace for the reduction of both exposure and effect should focus upon factors within the work organisation as well as actively involving the individual worker. The current knowledge is sufficient to enable informed decisions to be made on future research needs and prevention strategies at the societal, organisational and individual level.
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              Manual handling activities and risk of low back pain in nurses.

              To investigate the risk factors for low back pain in hospital nurses, with particular emphasis on the role of specific nursing activities. A cross sectional survey of 2405 nurses employed by a group of teaching hospitals was carried out. Self administered questionnaires were used to collect information about occupational activities, non-occupational risk factors for back symptoms, and history of low back pain. The overall response rate was 69%. Among 1616 women, the lifetime prevalence of back pain was 60% and the one year period prevalence 45%. 10% had been absent from work because of back pain for a cumulative period exceeding four weeks. Rates in men were generally similar to those in women. In women back pain during the previous 12 months was weakly associated with height, and was significantly more common in those who reported frequent non-musculoskeletal symptoms such as headache and low mood. After adjustment for height and non-musculoskeletal symptoms, significant associations were found with frequency of manually moving patients around on the bed, manually transferring patients between bed and chair, and manually lifting patients from the floor. In contrast, no clear increase in risk was found in relation to transfer of patients with canvas and poles, manually lifting patients in and out of the bath, or lifting patients with mechanical aids. Confirmation of these findings is now being sought in a prospective study of the same population. This study confirms that low back pain is highly prevalent among nurses and is associated with a high level of sickness absence. People who often report non-musculoskeletal symptoms were significantly more likely to report low back pain. Specific manual handling tasks were associated with an increased risk of back pain; however, no such association was found with mechanised patient transfers.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                BMC Musculoskelet Disord
                BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
                BioMed Central
                1471-2474
                2010
                20 January 2010
                : 11
                : 12
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Physiotherapy department, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
                [2 ]Department of Medical Rehabilitation, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile - Ife. Nigeria
                [3 ]Department of Physiotherapy, University of Maiduguri, College of Medical Sciences, Maiduguri, Nigeria
                [4 ]Physiotherapy department, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
                Article
                1471-2474-11-12
                10.1186/1471-2474-11-12
                2823665
                20089139
                0c14c659-28c2-42ac-8ab6-d7ec92ce0a30
                Copyright ©2010 Tinubu et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 23 February 2009
                : 20 January 2010
                Categories
                Research article

                Orthopedics
                Orthopedics

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