Exposure Time to Work-Related Hazards and Factors Affecting Musculoskeletal Pain in Nurses

Abstract

Nurses who work in hospitals are exposed to various occupational hazards and are recognized as having high rates of musculoskeletal pain. This study aims to estimate the level of exposure to work-related hazards for nurses working in hospitals and derive factors that affect back pain, upper limb pain, and lower limb pain. This study was conducted on 462 nurses from the 6th Korean Working Condition Survey (KWCS) data, deriving exposure time related to physical, biochemical, and ergonomic hazards. Also, using binomial logistic regression analysis, this study determines the factors influencing musculoskeletal pain by comprehensively considering work-related factors and physical, biochemical, and ergonomic hazards. The exposure time for standing is the highest, followed by repetitive movements, awkward postures, patient lifting/carrying, infection, heavy object handling, and vibration. The average exposure times to occupational hazards were higher for nurses experiencing pain in their back, upper limbs, and lower limbs than those without pain complaints. Factors that contribute to back pain include years of work experience (p = 0.002), type of healthcare establishment (p = 0.001), exposure level to vibration (p = 0.029), and awkward posture level (p < 0.001). Factors affecting upper limb pain include the type of shift work (p = 0.013), handling heavy objects (p < 0.001), awkward postures (p = 0.033), and repetitive movements (p = 0.002). The factors that influence lower limb pain are awkward posture (p = 0.001), patient lifting/carrying (p = 0.002), and repetitive movements (p = 0.006). This study emphasizes the importance of implementing strategies to improve occupational hazards to prevent or alleviate musculoskeletal pain. These findings provide practical guidance for managing risk factors and preventing musculoskeletal disorders among nursing professionals.

Effects of Occupational Hazards, Musculoskeletal Pain, and Work on the Overall Fatigue, Anxiety, and Depression of Female Nurses

“…Figure 1 shows the results of Kim and Jeong's research [15] and this study as a structural diagram. According to Kim and Jeong's research [15], work characteristics and exposure to hazards influence nurses' musculoskeletal pain.…”

“…Nurses are exposed to various potential hazards in their workplace. These hazards include biochemical hazards [3], physical hazards [3,15,27], and ergonomic hazards [3,15,33,34]. Ergonomic hazards are most closely associated with musculoskeletal pain [15,33,34], but physical and biochemical hazards are also related to pain [15,27].…”

“…Musculoskeletal pain is prevalent among nurses in the back, upper limbs, and lower limbs [15,35]. In this study, the upper limbs include the shoulders, elbows, and hands, and the lower limbs have the knees, ankles, and feet [29].…”

“…In this study, the upper limbs include the shoulders, elbows, and hands, and the lower limbs have the knees, ankles, and feet [29]. Musculoskeletal pain in nurses is associated with work/worker characteristics such as age, gender, work experience [15,33,36], institution type, workload [19,34,37], and type of shift [15,38]. Women are more likely to experience musculoskeletal pain than men [39].…”

“…Kim and Jeong [15] investigated the impact of physical, biochemical, and ergonomic hazards on musculoskeletal pain among nurses, considering their work characteristics Appl. Sci.…”