Abstract
Psychosocial work demands, the level of organisational support, and the provision and implementation of a patient handling programme have been identified as important determinants of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in nurses. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of MSD and explore the association of work-related psychosocial and patient handling factors on the musculoskeletal health of New Zealand (NZ) nurses. A sample (N = 201) of NZ nurses from the 2013 NZ Census completed an online survey in 2016–17 (45% of those eligible). MSD prevalence was measured using a modified version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Psychosocial work demands were measured using The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ II). Components of “The Tool for Risk Outstanding in Patient Handling Interventions (TROPHI)” assessed patient handling practices. Binary logistic regression provided measures of association between psychosocial and patient handling factors, and MSD. The overall prevalence of MSD was 58% in the previous 12 months and 31% for the last 7 days. Low back (55%) and shoulder (54%) complaints were the most frequently reported MSD during previous 12 months, and co-morbidity of symptoms was high (59%). Higher work pace and emotional demands were significantly associated with MSD. Completing a patient handling task without equipment when equipment was prescribed, and perceived lack of suitable equipment, space, environment, skills or knowledge affecting patient care were also significantly associated with MSD. Interventions for the prevention and management of work-related MSD in nurses should take a multifaceted approach inclusive of physical and psychosocial components embedded within a comprehensive patient handling programme.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Solidaki E, Chatzi L, Bitsios P, Markatzi I, Plana E, Castro F, Palmer K, Coggon D, Kogevinas M (2010) Work related and psychological determinants of multi-site musculoskeletal pain. Scand J Work Environ Health 36(1):54
Bernal D, Campos-Serna J, Tobias A, Vargas-Prada S, Benavides FG, Serra C (2015) Review: work-related psychosocial risk factors and musculoskeletal disorders in hospital nurses and nursing aides: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Nurs Stud 52:635–648
Humrickhouse R, Knibbe HJ (2016) The importance of safe patient handling to create a culture of safety: an evidential review. Ergon Open J 927–942
Zadow AJ, Dollard MF, Mclinton SS, Lawrence P, Tuckey MR (2017) Psychosocial safety climate, emotional exhaustion, and work injuries in healthcare workplaces. Stress Health 33(5):558–569
Kuorinka I, Jonsson B, Kilbom A, Vinterberg H, Biering-Sørensen F, Andersson G, Jørgensen K (1987) Standardised nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. Appl Ergon 18(3):233–237
Pejtersen JH, Kristensen TS, Borg V, Bjorner JB (2010) The second version of the Copenhagen psychosocial questionnaire. Scand J Public Health 38(3_suppl):8–24
Fray M, Hignett S (2013) TROPHI: development of a tool to measure complex, multi-factorial patient handling interventions. Ergonomics 56(8):1280–1294
Nelson A, Collins J, Siddharthan K, Matz M, Waters T (2008) Link between safe patient handling and patient outcomes in long-term care. Rehabil Nurs 33(1):33–43
Hignett S, Crumpton E (2007) Competency-based training for patient handling. Appl Ergon 38(1):7–17
Harcombe H, McBride D, Derrett S, Gray A (2009) Prevalence and impact of musculoskeletal disorders in New Zealand nurses, postal workers and office workers. Aust N Z J Public Health 33(5):437–441
Coggan C, Norton R, Roberts I, Hope V (1994) Prevalence of back pain among nurses. N Z Med J 107(983):306–308
Freimann T, Pääsuke M, Merisalu E (2016) Work-related psychosocial factors and mental health problems associated with musculoskeletal pain in nurses: a cross-sectional study. Pain Res Manag 2016
Yassi A, Lockhart K (2013) Work-relatedness of low back pain in nursing personnel: a systematic review. Int J Occup Environ Health 19(3):223–244
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Boocock, M.G. et al. (2019). The Influence of Psychosocial and Patient Handling Factors on the Musculoskeletal Health of Nurses. In: Bagnara, S., Tartaglia, R., Albolino, S., Alexander, T., Fujita, Y. (eds) Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018). IEA 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 820. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96083-8_78
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96083-8_78
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-96082-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-96083-8
eBook Packages: Intelligent Technologies and RoboticsIntelligent Technologies and Robotics (R0)