Ergonomic mapping of work‐related musculoskeletal disorders and stress among Indian healthcare workers: An overview

Abstract

The hospitals and nursing homes contribute 49% of the Indian healthcare delivery. Doctors and nurses, who comprise the major chunk of the healthcare sector, are vulnerable to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) during the course of their work routine.Arduous workplace tasks of the doctors include regular walking from ward to ward, constant bending over the bed while physically examining patients, prolonged sitting in outpatient clinics to meet the work demands. Nurses perform a wide variety of activities and are usually responsible for implementation of the care plan the doctor sets up for the patient, sometimes even in back-to-back shifts. A sample of 650 female nurses from nine Indian hospitals and 108 male doctors from four Indian hospitals was carried out. The findings revealed that nurses face considerable occupational stress, moderate levels of quality of life (QoL) and a high prevalence of MSDs. Pain and discomfort in low back, knee, neck and shoulder were found to be the most prevalent work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among nurses.In doctors, the results showed that the occurrence of WMSDs was most prevalent in lower back, followed by ankles/feet, knees and neck. Visual Analogue Scale revealed significant differences in the morning and evening scores. The mean total work style score exceeded the standardized limits which suggested that the work style of doctors working in Indian hospitals was at risk which may precipitate psychosocial stress.The conclusion drawn will immensely benefit the healthcare industry in developing administrative reforms and implementing welfare policy initiatives to provide a congenial working environment enhancing their QoL and better health system.

Musculoskeletal Disorders and Psychosocial Stress at Work: A Comprehensive Study on Indian Nurses

“…20 According to the research findings of Das et al, nurses are under stress as a result of their organizational responsibilities and factors such as inter-role distance, personal inadequacy and role overload. 21 In this study, among the demand scales of COPSOQ, the highest mean value was found in cognitive demand, followed by sensorial demand. Health services in India struggle to provide sufficient care to all patients admitted and seeking outdoor treatment due to the growing population.…”

Knee ergonomics care in health care professionals

“…they found that the highest prevalence anatomical area involved in MSDs were the lower back, knee and neck in nurses and ankle, knee and lower back in doctors. [7] Ramin Mehrdad MD,et al (2012) "Musculoskeletal disorders and ergonomic Hazards among Iranian physicians" This study included 405 physicians who worked as a faculty in hospitals and experienced occupational as well as an ergonomic hazards at their place of work. They divided the participants into two sections, those with no complaints and others with complaint of MSDs in the last few years.They used a Nordic questionnaire to assess the musculoskeletal symptoms and for analyzing the data they used t-test and chi-square test.…”

“…Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are defined as pain, discomfort and any muscular injuries in the musculoskeletal system in the human body aggravated by work that occur due to repetitive trauma, repetitive overuse, and awkward positioning during occupational activities [1,5,7]. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) are the category of musculoskeletal disorders that will include problems related to tendons, tendon sheaths, and synovial lubrication of tendon sheaths, and related to bones, muscles, and nerves of hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, and back [29].…”