Musculoskeletal pain among critical-care nurses by availability and use of patient lifting equipment: An analysis of cross-sectional survey data

作者：Lee Soo Jeong^*; Faucett Julia; Gillen Marion; Krause Niklas

来源：International Journal of Nursing Studies, 2013, 50(12): 1648-1657.

DOI：10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2013.03.010

• Lifting equipment
• Musculoskeletal pain
• Nurses
• Occupational health
• Patient lifting

Background: Patient handling is a major risk factor for musculoskeletal injuries among nurses. Lifting equipment is a main component of safe patient handling programs that aim to prevent musculoskeletal injury. However, the actual levels of lift availability and usage are far from optimal.
Objective: To examine the effect of patient lifting equipment on musculoskeletal pain by level of lift availability and lift use among critical-care nurses.
Design and participants: A cross-sectional postal survey of a random sample of 361 critical-care nurses in the United States.
Methods: The survey collected data on low-back, neck, and shoulder pain, lift availability, lift use, physical and psychosocial job factors, and sociodemographics. Musculoskeletal pain was assessed by three types of measures: any pain, work-related pain, and major pain. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to examine the associations between musculoskeletal pain and lift variables, controlling for demographic and job factors.
Results: Less than half (46%) of respondents reported that their employer provided lifts. Of 168 nurses who had lifts in their workplace, the level of lift availability was high for 59.5%, medium for 25.0%, and low for 13.7%; the level of lift use was high for 32.1%, medium for 31.5%, and low for 31.5%. Significant associations were found between lift availability and work-related low-back and shoulder pain. Compared to nurses without lifts, nurses reporting high-level lift availability were half as likely to have work-related low-back pain (OR=0.50,95% CI 0.26-0.96) and nurses reporting medium-level lift availability were 3.6 times less likely to have work-related shoulder pain (OR = 0.28, 95% Cl 0.09-0.91). With respect to lift use, work-related shoulder pain was three times less common among nurses reporting medium-level use (OR=0.33.95% Cl 0.12-0.93); any neck pain was three times more common among nurses reporting low-level use (OR = 3.13, 95% CI 1.19-8.28).
Conclusions: Greater availability and use of lifts were associated with less musculoskeletal pain among critical-care nurses. These findings suggest that for lift interventions to be effective, lifts must be readily available when needed and barriers against lift use must be removed.

• 出版日期2013-12