Prevalence of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Primary Health Care Workers in Minna, Niger State

Abstract

Work related musculoskeletal disorders are conditions that health care providers are themselves highly prone to from their daily activities of handling patient care. This study was conducted among primary healthcare workers in Minna, Niger State to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) resulting from performing occupational duties in PHC centers. The objective of this study was to investigate the proportion of healthcare workers affected by work-related musculoskeletal disorders and the most common disorder affecting this category of people. The NMQ was used to gather information from respondents. A total of 334 workers of the PHC centers were selected through purposive sampling which comprised of clinicians with the exception of administrative and other support staff. After analysis of data lower back pain showed the highest prevalence (41%) followed by shoulder pain (18%) and neck (14%). The majority of PHC workers in Minna metropolis are affected with low back pain. It is the most common WRMSD among clinicians. This is also in alignment with the global menace of low back pain as one of the most common reasons for individual work absenteeism. High-quality experimental studies, such as randomized controlled trials (RCTs), are needed to investigate specific etiological factors responsible for these disorders and objective means to quantify the level of discomfort from these disorders. Keywords: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders, Low back pain, prevalence, Healthcare worker, clinicians, primary health care centers, Minna metropolis, Niger State.