Exploring the factors affecting musculoskeletal disorders risk among hospital nurses

• Published in: PloS one 2020-04, Vol.15 (4), p.e0231319-e0231319
• Main Authors: Lin, Shu Chuan, Lin, Li Li, Liu, Chih Ju, Fang, Chun Kai, Lin, Mei Hsiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Back pain; Biology and Life Sciences; Body parts; Clinical decision making; Decision making; Discomfort; Health risks; Hospitals; Injuries; Intensive care; Internal medicine; Job satisfaction; Medical personnel; Medicine and Health Sciences; Musculoskeletal diseases; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing administration; Obstetrics; Occupational health; Occupational safety; Pediatrics; People and Places; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Risk analysis; Risk factors; Risk groups; Shoulder; Signs and symptoms; Social Sciences; Studies; Workloads; Wrist
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231319

Musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) is currently recognized as one of the most common occupational injuries for which nursing personnel in the medical service industry have been identified as a high-risk group. In this study, we explore the prevalence of MSD in various body parts as well as their risk factors among hospital nurses. A cross-sectional descriptive design with stratified cluster sampling was used to collect data from 1,803 nurses. The survey included a demographic questionnaire, and Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. The results showed that the greatest prevalence of MSD symptoms by body regions were in the right shoulder (85.8%), the left shoulder (80.9%), the neck (62.4%), the right wrist (62.2%) and the lower back (60.4%). Risk factors for shoulder discomfort includes department type, exercise habits, and age (p < .05). Risk factors for neck discomfort includes seniority in the current unit, "job title, and "history of MDS (p < .05). Risk factors for upper back discomfort includes age and seniority in the current unit (p < .05). Risk factors for lower back discomfort including seniority in the current unit, department type, and number of days worked per week (p < .05). The results of this study can serve as a reference for nursing administration managers and decision-makers for reducing musculoskeletal discomfort among nurses and thereby achieving superior quality in clinical care.