Musculoskeletal disorders in emergency medical services personnel: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: Public health (London) 2024-12, Vol.237, p.107-115
• Main Authors: Tahernejad, A., Makki, F., Rezaei, E., Marzban, H., Tahernejad, S., Sahebi, A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Emergency Medical Services - statistics & numerical data; Emergency medical services personnel; Emergency Medical Technicians - statistics & numerical data; Ergonomics; Humans; Musculoskeletal Diseases - epidemiology; Musculoskeletal disorders; Occupational Diseases - epidemiology; Prevalence; Prevention; Risk factors
• ISSN: 0033-3506; 1476-5616; 1476-5616
• DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2024.08.020

Emergency medical services personnel are frequently subjected to strenuous physical tasks, such as lifting and moving patients, as well as working in awkward postures. These activities can result in a variety of debilitating injuries, including musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). As a result, this systematic review and meta-analysis study aimed to examine the frequency of MSDs among emergency medical services personnel. Systematic review and meta-analysis. This systematic review and meta-analysis study was conducted based on the PRISMA guidelines. The protocol of this work is registered in PROSPERO with the code CRD42024506958. Searches were conducted without time limits in several databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, SID, ISC, and Google Scholar until February 12, 2024. The I2 index was used to assess heterogeneity, and random effects model was used for meta-analysis. Data were analyzed using STATA version 14. A total of 709 articles were obtained by initial search in the mentioned databases. Following a thorough screening and quality assessment, 27 articles were chosen for meta-analysis. The findings revealed that the overall prevalence of MSDs among emergency medical services personnel is 56.52% (95% CI: 35–78.04, I2 = 99.8%, P