Abstract
BackgroundBack pain is one of the most frequent complaints in the nursing profession. Thus, the 12-month prevalence of pain in the lumbar spine in nursing staff is as high as 76%. Only a few representative studies have assessed the prevalence rates of back pain and its risk factors among nursing staff in nursing homes in comparison to staff in home-based care facilities. The present study accordingly investigates the prevalence in the lumbar and cervical spine and determines the physical workload to lifting and caring in geriatric care.Methods1390 health care workers in nursing homes and home care participated in this cross sectional survey. The nursing staff members were examined by occupational physicians according to the principals of the multistep diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders. Occupational exposure to daily care activities with patient transfers was measured by a standardised questionnaire. The lumbar load was calculated with the Mainz-Dortmund dose model. Information on ergonomic conditions were recorded from the management of the nursing homes. Comparisons of all outcome variables were made between both care settings.ResultsComplete documentation, including the findings from the occupational physicians and the questionnaire, was available for 41%. Staff in nursing homes had more often positive orthopaedic findings than staff in home care. At the same time the values calculated for lumbar load were found to be significant higher in staff in nursing homes than in home-based care: 45% vs. 6% were above the reference value. Nursing homes were well equipped with technical lifting aids, though their provision with assistive advices is unsatisfactory. Situation in home care seems worse, especially as the staff often has to get by without assistance.ConclusionsFuture interventions should focus on counteracting work-related lumbar load among staff in nursing homes. Equipment and training in handling of assistive devices should be improved especially for staff working in home care.
Highlights
Back pain is one of the most frequent complaints in the nursing profession
At the same time the values calculated for lumbar load were found to be significant higher in staff in nursing homes than in home-based care: 45% vs. 6% were above the reference value
Future interventions should focus on counteracting work-related lumbar load among staff in nursing homes
Summary
Back pain is one of the most frequent complaints in the nursing profession. the 12-month prevalence of pain in the lumbar spine in nursing staff is as high as 76%. For health care workers in different specialities, the 12-month prevalence for pain in the lumbar spine has been reported as being as high as 76% and in the cervical spine as high as 60% [2,3,4,5]. That demand can presumably not be met in the coming decades by training adequate numbers of new staff [8] For this reason, it is desirable that health care workers should be professionally active for long periods of their working life. Routine data from the Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare (BGW) have shown that 23.5% of the reported cases of occupational diseases of the lumbar spine related to the lifting or carrying of heavy loads were working in geriatric care, showing that this is the most affected sector within the health service [13]
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