Self-reported work-related musculoskeletal disorders among health professionals at a hospital in Portugal

Fernandes, Carla Sílvia Neves da Nova; Couto, Germano; Carvalho, Rogério; Ferreira, Patricia; Fernandes, Daniela

http://hdl.handle.net/10284/7888

Use this identifier to reference this record.

Name:	Description:	Size:	Format:
Self-reported work-related musculoskeletal disorders among health professionals at a hospital in Portugal.pdf		121.8 KB	Adobe PDF	Download

Send Feedback

Authors

Fernandes, Carla Sílvia Neves da Nova

Abstract(s)

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are responsible for morbidity among many health professionals. Objective: To establish the prevalence of self-reported WMSDs among health professionals. Methods: Descriptive and exploratory study with health professionals at a hospital in northern Portugal. Data were collected in December 2017 by means of an electronic questionnaire applied to the total target population (n=435). We applied instruments for sociodemographic characterization, perception of knowledge on ergonomics and manual mobilization of loads, the Patient Handling Burden Scale (PHBS) and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) for self-reporting musculoskeletal symptoms. Results: The sample comprised 105 professionals, mainly nurses and nursing assistants, who exhibited high frequency of symptoms in several body areas, mainly the spine. Conclusions: WMSDs involving health professionals should be considered a problem for health institutions which do not implement interventions beyond traditional training programs, especially multifactorial programs of systemic nature.