Relationship between Musculoskeletal Disorders and Work Performance of Nursing Staff: A Comparison of Hospital Nursing Departments

Yang-Kun Ou, Yi Liu, Yu-Ping Chang and Bih-O Lee
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Yang-Kun Ou: Department of Creative Product Design, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan 710301, Taiwan
Yi Liu: Department of Medical Research, School of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807378, Taiwan
Yu-Ping Chang: School of Nursing, The State University of New York, University at Buffalo, New York, NY 14214-3079, USA
Bih-O Lee: Department of Medical Research, School of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807378, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-14

Abstract: This study aimed to explore the relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and the work performance of nursing staff. This cross-sectional study used the Checklist for Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs), the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), and the Work Ability Index to survey the prevalence of MSDs, as well as to determine the impact of MSDs on 117 nursing staff working in an emergency department, an intensive care unit, and general wards. The findings indicate that the nursing staff were exposed to a workplace environment with a high risk of MSDs. Nursing staff in the emergency department were at a particularly high risk of MSDs in their upper and lower limbs, while those working in the intensive care unit had a particularly high risk of injuries caused by manual material handling. Analyzing the relationship between MSD risk factors and NMQ scores showed a 6 times, 3.25 times, and 2.28 times increase in MSD conditions with a high workload compared to a low workload in the hand and wrist, the lower back or waist, and the knee, respectively. Medium and high workloads were found to increase the risk of MSD, which in turn affected the work ability of the nurses.

Keywords: nursing; characteristics of workplace; prevalence rate; odds ratio; ergonomics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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