Analysis of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Nurses

The nursing profession is a physically demanding job that involves excessive manual handling of patients. This results in the nurses being susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders. The objectives of the study were to identify risk factors which lead to MSDs; establish the prevalence of MSDs and characterize MSDs according to frequently incurred injuries. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used; information from 314 randomly selected nurses was gathered using a self-administered questionnaire. The response rate was 78%. The study established that the prevalence of reported incidences of MSDs among the nurses was 74.2%. Physical factors involving poor posture and use of excessive force were the most apparent ergonomic aspects precipitating MSDs. The most apparent risk factors established were poor postures, excessive force and lifting of heavy loads. The most vulnerable body parts reported were the back, feet and shoulder, respectively.

Autorentext

Juliet is an Occupational Therapist. She has a background of Occupational Health and Safety and has performed several workplace risk assessments. She has also carried out several trainings in Ergonomics and home and workplace adaptations.