Effect of multifaceted interventions on musculoskeletal disorders in nurses

Abstract

Objective To explore the effect of multifaceted interventions on musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) in nurses which consists of participatory ergonomics, physical training and cognitive behavioral training. Methods Totally 420 nurses were investigated about their situation of MSDs in June 2014 by Nordic self-rating MSDs scale. Nurses were assigned to the control group (n=191) and the intervention group (n=229) according to the survey. In the intervention group, the number of nurses with MSDs was 141, and the number of nurses without MSDs was 88; in the control group, the number of nurses with MSDs was 102, and the number of nurses without MSDs was 89. Nurses in the intervention group received multifaceted intervention, while nurses in the control group received no intervention. The changes on duration, intensity and related expenses of MSDs were compared between two groups after 6 months. Results For nurses with MSDs, there was no significance among the duration, intensity and related expenses between two groups before intervention (P>0.05). After intervention, the duration, intensity and related expenses of nurses with MSDs in the intervention group were (8.1±4.3)d, (3.5±2.6) points and (648.7±128.0) yuan, and they were lower than that of nurses with MSDs in the control group [(12.7±7.2) d, (3.4±2.2) points, (950.8±103.6) yuan](t=-6.211, -3.896, -19.631; P<0.01). Before intervention, there were no records of the duration, intensity and related expenses of nurses without MSDs; after intervention, the duration, intensity and related expenses of nurses without MSDs were (7.6±4.7) d, (3.4±2.2) points and (525.3±140.6) yuan, which were lower than that of the control group [(9.2±3.5) d, (4.5±3.3) points, (820.4±120.5) yuan] (t=-2.571, -2.606, -14.998; P<0.05). Conclusions Multifaceted interventions consisting of participatory ergonomics, physical training and cognitive behavioral training can reduce the duration, intensity and related expenses of nurses with MSDs, and they also have a preventive effect for nurses without MSDs. Key words: Musculoskeletal disorders; Multifaceted intervention; Participatory ergonomics; Physical training; Cognitive behavior