Time for Change? A Commentary on Scan Time Guidelines in Australasian Sonography

We found low-quality evidence that different work-break frequencies may have no effect on participant-reported musculoskeletal pain, discomfort and fatigue. For productivity and work performance, evidence was of very low-quality that different work-break frequencies may have a positive effect. For different types of break, there may be no effect on participant-reported musculoskeletal pain, discomfort and fatigue according to low-quality evidence. Further high-quality studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of frequency, duration and type of work-break interventions among workers, if possible, with much higher sample sizes than the studies included in the current review. Furthermore, work-break interventions should be reconsidered, taking into account worker populations other than office workers, and taking into account the possibility of combining work-break intervention with other interventions such as ergonomic training or counselling, which may may possibly have an effect on musculoskeletal outcomes and work performance.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has been working on matters related to occupational health problems in 15 European Union (EU) member states. EU-OSHA established 10 topic centers on work and health research in 1998. One of the topic centers is assigned for research and information on work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The present report is written because such activities of EU-OSHA are scarcely known in Japan. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders have become a very serious problem in EU member states, i.e., 30% of workers complain of backache, and 17% complain of muscular pains in their arms and legs. The affected workers not only suffer at work but also in their home life. The economic costs of all work-related ill health range from 2.6 to 3.8% of the gross national product, and work-related musculoskeletal disorders constitute 40-50% of this. Therefore EU member states consider that prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in itself is an extremely good economic policy. EU-OSHA published "Work-related neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders" in 1999, and "Research on work-related low back disorders" in 2000. These publications suggest various preventive methods which can be introduced in practice at work. One of the most remarkable things in EU-OSHA's activities for work-related musculoskeletal disorders is that EU-OSHA has been trying hard to introduce the results of its research into real policies for EU member states by several means, i.e., held a seminar participated in by policy makers, representatives of trade unions, and researchers from EU member states, and sent seminar resolutions to politicians who are responsible for employment and social affairs. Finally the resolution has been adopted in a new social affairs policy by the EU parliament and will be put into force during 2002. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders will remain one of the most serious occupational problems in EU member states, and EU-OSHA will continue to pay close attention to it.

Introduction: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) are important occupational illnesses. Nurses are among the professionals at high risk of WRMSDs. WRMSDs have significant impact and repercussion not only on the workers involved, but also on the organization and society. To date, only a few studies have examined the prevalence and risk factors of WRMSDs among nursing professionals in Malaysia. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the (1) prevalence of WRMSDs; and (2) potential predictors [workplace stressors (psychosocial and physical), emotional distress (depression, anxiety and stress) and work engagement (vigour, dedication and absorption)] of WRMSDs among nurses working in public hospitals in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among female nursing personnel from four public hospitals in the Klang Valley, Malaysia using a self-administered Malay translated and validated questionnaire survey. The validated Malay version of the Standardised Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (M-SNMQ) was used to determine the annual prevalence of WRMSDs while the workplace stressors (psychosocial and physical) was assessed using Karasek’s validated Malay version of the Job Content Questionnaire (M-JCQ). The emotional distress was assessed using the validated Malay version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (M-DASS). Level of work engagement was evaluated using the validated Malay version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (M-UWES). The socio-demographic and occupational information were also obtained from the nurses. Factors associated with WRMSDs were identified using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. A structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis was applied to test the structural relationships of the model using AMOS version 22, with the maximum likelihood ratio as the method of estimation. Results: A total of 550 out of 660 nurses returned the questionnaire (response rate: 83.3%). Of this, only data from 376 nurses were included for overall analysis. The study indicated that the annual prevalence of WRMSDs was 73.1%. WRMSDs in the neck (48.9%) was the most prevalent followed by feet (47.2%), upper back (40.7%) and shoulders (36.9%). The least complaint was received for the arms/elbows (6.6%). In order to extend the statistical analysis further, the body regions were categorized into four anatomical regions. Similar trend was also documented with approximately half of the studied nursing population had WRMSDs in region 1(neck and shoulders), region 3 (upper and lower back) and region 4 (hips, knees, ankles, and feet), while only 26.1% of the nurses developed WRMSDs in region 2 (wrists, arms and hands). Less than 25% of the nurses agreed that WRMSDs affected their quality of life. After adjustment, the results of the multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that workplace stressors (high psychological job demand, low job control, poor social support, and high physical demand) were amongst significant workplace stressors of WRMSDs in different body regions. Also, nurses reporting significant emotional distress (stress, anxiety, and depression) were at risk of WRMSDs in various body regions. Meanwhile, work engagement (vigour, dedication, and absorption) significantly reduced the risk of WRMSDs in all body regions. When all significant factors (cut-off p<0.10) were examined in the final model for each body region, the results indicated that psychological job demand, physical demand, stress, and work engagement significantly predicted WRMSDs in different body regions. The findings also revealed mediating effects of work engagement on the relationship between job control and social support on WRMSDs, respectively. Interestingly, stress also showed mediating effects on the relationship between social support, psychological job demand and physical demands on WRMSDs. Conclusions: The present results suggest that WRMSDs are highly prevalent among public hospital nurses in Malaysia. However, only a minority of the nurses were aware that WRMSDs affected their quality of life. The results suggest that more attention should be given to work-related psychological job demand, physical demand, and stress while addressing the significant role of vigour (work engagement) in ameliorating these negative influences on the WRMSDs among these nurses. The findings have important implications for future longitudinal studies and also in determining interventional programs to be implemented for the prevention and control of WRMSDs in the hospital settings

AIMS: Studies comparing the occurrence and characteristics of work – related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) across various occupational groups in the health sector from Sub-Sahara Africa are sparse. This study investigated the prevalence and pattern of WMSDs among health workers in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. METHODS: An adapted questionnaire from the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire was used as the survey instrument. Data were collected on demographics, lifetime, 12-months and point prevalence, and pattern and consequence of WMSDs. A response rate of 91% was obtained in this study. RESULTS: Sixty eight point seven percent of the respondents have experienced WMSDs in their occupational lives with a higher percentage among males than females (39.6 vs.29.1%). The 12-months period and point prevalence rate of WMSDs was 64.4% and 48.2% respectively. WMSDs reported mostly for low back (50%) followed by the shoulder (27.5%) and knees (18.1%). Nurses (30.4%) had the highest rate of WMSDs among the health workers. Most nurses with complaints (53.4%) took a sick leave as a result of WMSDs, followed by doctors (32%) and support staff (25%). CONCLUSIONS: WMSDs are common among health workers from Nigeria with the low back being injured most often. The rate of WMSDs and consequent sick leave is higher among nurses than other health workers. Preventive programmes on musculoskeletal disorders among health workers are recommended in order to reduce the rate of WMSDs among them and to promote efficiency in patient care.

Work-related upper quadrant musculoskeletal disorders in midwives, nurses and physicians: A systematic review of risk factors and functional consequences

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of Work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs) and identify associated risk factors and provide evidence of taking measures for prevention. Methods: By Cluster sampling, 1 920 employees of 35 manufacturing enterprises were selected as study subjects from May to December 2017. The questionnnaire were including population characteristics、related factors of ergonomics、job burnout、insomnia and WMSDs. Results: The prevalence of waist was the highest among 9 body parts, with 52.0%, followed by the prevalence of neck 50.6%, more than 1 muscle diseases were by the prevalence of 74.7%. Single factor analysis showed that different levels of labor intensity, daily standing time (h) , daily sitting time(h) , daily bending time (h) , daily lifting of 5kg object time (h) group waist disease and prevalence of more than one musculoskeletal disease were different, The difference was statistically sig- nificant (P<0.05). More than 5 years of working year, labor intensity of Class III, daily bending time ≥2 h, depression, disorders (P<0.05). life satisfaction, job burnout, and insomnia are all risk factors for waist and musculoskeletal. The daily sitting time ≥2 h and the high life satisfaction were protective factors for waist and WMSDs (P<0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence rate of WMSDs among manufacturing workers is strong, and Manager should take the aspects of ergonomics and psychological factors meassure to reduce WMSDs, These meassure were including increasing sitting time, reducing bending time.

Occupational therapists are at risk of work-related injuries (WRIs) because of the demanding nature of their work. However, information about WRIs and musculoskeletal disorders among occupational therapists is limited. For comparison, research indicates that up to 91% of physical therapists experience work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and pain. The purpose of this study was to gather new information about the prevalence, severity, and characteristics of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms and injuries among occupational therapists and to compare this information with physical therapists in the state of Wisconsin. Investigators mailed surveys to 3,297 randomly selected physical and occupational therapists living in Wisconsin. Results indicated a 2006 annual incidence rate of 16.5 injuries per 100 full-time workers among occupational therapists and 16.9 injuries per 100 full-time workers among physical therapists, a rate similar to workers employed in heavy manufacturing. Occupational therapists and physical therapists face similar and significant risks of injury and WMSDs.

Aims: To investigate the prevalence of work-related repetitive stress injuries amongst the healthcare professionals in large tertiary care hospital Materials &amp; Methods: The study was conducted on 42 healthcare professionals (22 males and 20 females. The participants of the age range between 18 to 65 years. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a validated research instrument questionnaire consisting of 52 questions divided into multiple parts. Descriptive statistics were used to explain the demographic characteristics and information regarding the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal work disorders of the respondents. This study was conducted at teaching hospital of Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana, Haryana, India in different department between November, 2018 and April, 2019. Results: A total of the 42 respondents were returned and properly filled questionnaires. Out of total 42 respondents, 5(11.9%) of the health care workers did not have any work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSD). It is reported that overall 52.3% of the respondents were male and 47.7% were female. It has several strata such as four radiologist, six medical physicians/general physicians; four physiotherapists; seven dentists; nine radiographers; four laboratory technologists; eight nurses respectively. Amongst the health professional workers, dentists were the most prevalence of occurring work related musculoskeletal disorder followed by radiographer, physiotherapist, radiologist, laboratory technologist, medical physician, and nurse. However, neck pain being the most common affected body region where 5 dentists were recorded. Subsequently, neck pain account to 40.4% amongst the health care workers followed by shoulder pain 23.8%, hand pain 11.9%, lower back pain 7.2% and wrist pain 4.8%. Conclusion: Based on our study, the finding demonstrated the top three most prevalence occurring musculoskeletal disorder amongst health professional are dentist, radiographer and physiotherapist. Larger sample size would be required in order show an empirical evidence.

BackgroundWorkplace injury is an international costly burden. Health care workers are an essential component to managing musculoskeletal disorders, however in doing this, they may increase their own susceptibility. While there is substantial evidence about work-related musculoskeletal disorders across the health workforce, understanding risk factors in specific occupational groups, such as podiatry, is limited.The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and intensity of work related low back pain in podiatrists.MethodsThis was an international cross-sectional survey targeting podiatrists in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The survey had two components; general demographic variables and variables relating to general musculoskeletal pain in general or podiatry work-related musculoskeletal pain. Multivariable regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with musculoskeletal stiffness and pain and low back pain intensity. Thematic analysis was used to group comments podiatrists made about their musculoskeletal health.ResultsThere were 948 survey responses (5% of Australian, New Zealand and United Kingdom registered podiatrists). There were 719 (76%) podiatrists reporting musculoskeletal pain as a result of their work practices throughout their career. The majority of injuries reported were in the first five years of practice (n = 320, 45%). The body area reported as being the location of the most significant injury was the low back (203 of 705 responses, 29%). Being female (p < 0.001) and working in private practice (p = 0.003) was associated with musculoskeletal pain or stiffness in the past 12 months. There were no variables associated with pain or stiffness in the past four weeks. Being female was the only variable associated with higher pain (p = 0.018). There were four main themes to workplace musculoskeletal pain: 1. Organisational and procedural responses to injury, 2. Giving up work, taking time off, reducing hours, 3. Maintaining good musculoskeletal health and 4. Environmental change.ConclusionsThe postures that podiatrists hold while treating patients appear to impact on musculoskeletal pain and stiffness. Recently graduated and female podiatrists are at higher risk of injury. There is a need for the profession to consider how they move and take care of their own musculoskeletal health.

Introduction: Physical therapists are required to perform tasks that predispose them to developing work related musculoskeletal disorders. The physical therapists personal and professional life can be affected by work related musculoskeletal disorders. High level evidence is lacking regarding work related musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this study was to combine information on prevalence, risk factors and the consequences of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in physical therapists. Material &amp; Methods: A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines.Three members independently searched the databases PubMed and other online sources including google scholar for relevant data from July 2014 to September 2020. Cross-sectional studies published in English language which reported work related musculoskeletal disorders in physical therapists were included. Studies involving physical therapy students and internees, having insufficient information about past or current work-related musculoskeletal disorders, sample size of physical therapists less than 50 and not published in peer reviewed journals were excluded. Results: Twenty one articles were included in current systematic review. The 1-year prevalence of workrelated musculoskeletal disorders among physical therapists ranged from 38.5% to 97.6%. The low back was the commonest affected body part. Treating large number of patients and manual therapy were the leading risk factors for developing work related musculoskeletal disorders. The most common consequences were modifying treatment techniques and reducing work hours. Conclusion: Prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorders are high among physical therapists. The nature of physical therapy job presents significant risk factors which can lead to work related musculoskeletal disorders.

Background: This study has been carried out to determine the prevalence and pattern of Musculo Skeletal Disorders (MSD) among software professionals and to evaluate the association between socio-demographic factors, computer work related factors and MSD. Methods: The study design was cross sectional with software professionals working in information technology (IT) companies in Chennai, Tamilnadu as the study population. The sampling method used for the survey is the non-probabilistic purposive sampling. Data was collected using a questionnaire which includes personal data, job details and standardized Nordic questionnaire. Results: Prevalence of work related MSD during last 12 months, during last 7 days and annual disability were 69%, 49.2% and 16.6% respectively. The common prevalence of work related MSD reported during last 12 months based on their body region were neck (29.56%), lower back (22.89%), shoulders (12.17%) and knees (9.56%). There was a statistically significant difference in terms of gender, regular exercise, more than 5 working days per week, more than eight hours of work per day and habit of taking lesser breaks during work hours at regular intervals. There were no statistically significant difference in terms of age, BMI and years of employment. Conclusions: The study has concluded that MSD is widely reported among software professionals working in the IT field in India. Hence, an appropriate prevention strategy needs to be carried out in order to enable them work comfortably.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to determine the risk factors related to upper extremities work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) in cameramen.MethodsA questionnaire survey was performed on 166 cameramen in a broadcasting station. The questionnaire consisted of questions on the general characteristics, the health behavior, work type and duration, physical burden, ergonomic posture, and musculoskeletal symptoms. Definition of musculoskeletal disorders was based on NIOSH criteria.ResultsThe positive rate of WRMSDs symptoms by parts of the body was turned out to be the highest in the shoulder (14.5%) and the lowest in arm and elbow (6%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that symptoms in the shoulders increased with BMI (OR = 3.62, 95% CI = 1.03-12.71), physical burden (OR = 9.29, 95% CI = 1.72-61.78 in the very hard group) and ergonomic factors (OR = 4.50, 95% CI = 1.03-19.68). Ergonomic factors were only related to the symptoms of hand and wrist (OR = 10.21, 95% CI = 1.02-102.20). WRMSDs symptoms, in the whole upper extremities, were higher in the 50 or older age group (OR = 5.86, 95% CI = 1.03-33.26), higher BMI group (OR = 3.26, 95% CI = 1.28-13.53), non-exercise group (OR = 2.37, 95% CI = 1.24-12.59), high physical burden group (OR = 7.6, 95% CI = 1.34-52.74), and high grade ergonomic risk group (OR = 4.82, 95% CI = 1.29-16.06).ConclusionThe most serious musculoskeletal disorders of male cameramen were shoulder pain. Ergonomic factors and physical burden were the most significant factors affecting WRMSDs in cameramen in this study. Cameramen should be educated to be able to improve the ergonomic occupational environment and to set up preventive measures against the risk factors during work.

Work-related upper limb and neck musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most common occupational disorders around the world. Although ergonomic design and training are likely to reduce the risk of workers developing work-related upper limb and neck MSDs, the evidence is unclear. To assess the effects of workplace ergonomic design or training interventions, or both, for the prevention of work-related upper limb and neck MSDs in adults. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), CINAHL, AMED, Web of Science (Science Citation Index), SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Occupational Safety and Health Review Group Database and Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group Specialised Register to July 2010, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health database, and International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre database to November 2010. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of ergonomic workplace interventions for preventing work-related upper limb and neck MSDs. We included only studies with a baseline prevalence of MSDs of the upper limb or neck, or both, of less than 25%. Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias. We included studies with relevant data that we judged to be sufficiently homogeneous regarding the intervention and outcome in the meta-analysis. We assessed the overall quality of the evidence for each comparison using the GRADE approach. We included 13 RCTs (2397 workers). Eleven studies were conducted in an office environment and two in a healthcare setting. We judged one study to have a low risk of bias. The 13 studies evaluated effectiveness of ergonomic equipment, supplementary breaks or reduced work hours, ergonomic training, a combination of ergonomic training and equipment, and patient lifting interventions for preventing work-related MSDs of the upper limb and neck in adults.Overall, there was moderate-quality evidence that arm support with alternative mouse reduced the incidence of neck/shoulder disorders (risk ratio (RR) 0.52; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.27 to 0.99) but not the incidence of right upper limb MSDs (RR 0.73; 95% CI 0.32 to 1.66); and low-quality evidence that this intervention reduced neck/shoulder discomfort (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.41; 95% CI -0.69 to -0.12) and right upper limb discomfort (SMD -0.34; 95% CI -0.63 to -0.06).There was also moderate-quality evidence that the incidence of neck/shoulder and right upper limb disorders were not reduced when comparing alternative mouse and conventional mouse (neck/shoulder RR 0.62; 95% CI 0.19 to 2.00; right upper limb RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.48 to 1.72), arm support and no arm support with conventional mouse (neck/shoulder RR 0.67; 95% CI 0.36 to 1.24; right upper limb RR 1.09; 95% CI 0.51 to 2.29), and alternative mouse with arm support and conventional mouse with arm support (neck/shoulder RR 0.58; 95% CI 0.30 to 1.12; right upper limb RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.36 to 2.36).There was low-quality evidence that using an alternative mouse with arm support compared to conventional mouse with arm support reduced neck/shoulder discomfort (SMD -0.39; 95% CI -0.67 to -0.10). There was low- to very low-quality evidence that other interventions were not effective in reducing work-related upper limb and neck MSDs in adults. We found moderate-quality evidence to suggest that the use of arm support with alternative mouse may reduce the incidence of neck/shoulder MSDs, but not right upper limb MSDs. Moreover, we found moderate-quality evidence to suggest that the incidence of neck/shoulder and right upper limb MSDs is not reduced when comparing alternative and conventional mouse with and without arm support. However, given there were multiple comparisons made involving a number of interventions and outcomes, high-quality evidence is needed to determine the effectiveness of these interventions clearly. While we found very-low- to low-quality evidence to suggest that other ergonomic interventions do not prevent work-related MSDs of the upper limb and neck, this was limited by the paucity and heterogeneity of available studies. This review highlights the need for high-quality RCTs examining the prevention of MSDs of the upper limb and neck.

Work-related upper limb and neck musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most common occupational disorders worldwide. Studies have shown that the percentage of office workers that suffer from MSDs ranges from 20 to 60 per cent. The direct and indirect costs of work-related upper limb MSDs have been reported to be high in Europe, Australia, and the United States. Although ergonomic interventions are likely to reduce the risk of office workers developing work-related upper limb and neck MSDs, the evidence is unclear. This is an update of a Cochrane Review which was last published in 2012. To assess the effects of physical, cognitive and organisational ergonomic interventions, or combinations of those interventions for the prevention of work-related upper limb and neck MSDs among office workers. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science (Science Citation Index), SPORTDiscus, Embase, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health database, and the World Health Organization's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, to 10 October 2018. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of ergonomic interventions for preventing work-related upper limb or neck MSDs (or both) among office workers. We only included studies where the baseline prevalence of MSDs of the upper limb or neck, or both, was less than 25%. Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias. We included studies with relevant data that we judged to be sufficiently homogeneous regarding the interventions and outcomes in the meta-analysis. We assessed the overall quality of the evidence for each comparison using the GRADE approach. We included 15 RCTs (2165 workers). We judged one study to have a low risk of bias and the remaining 14 studies to have a high risk of bias due to small numbers of participants and the potential for selection bias.Physical ergonomic interventionsThere is inconsistent evidence for arm supports and alternative computer mouse designs. There is moderate-quality evidence that an arm support with an alternative computer mouse (two studies) reduced the incidence of neck or shoulder MSDs (risk ratio (RR) 0.52; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.27 to 0.99), but not the incidence of right upper limb MSDs (RR 0.73; 95% CI 0.32 to 1.66); and low-quality evidence that this intervention reduced neck or shoulder discomfort (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.41; 95% CI -0.69 to -0.12) and right upper limb discomfort (SMD -0.34; 95% CI -0.63 to -0.06).There is moderate-quality evidence that the incidence of neck or shoulder and right upper limb disorders were not considerably reduced when comparing an alternative computer mouse and a conventional mouse (two studies; neck or shoulder: RR 0.62; 95% CI 0.19 to 2.00; right upper limb: RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.48 to 1.72), and also when comparing an arm support with a conventional mouse and a conventional mouse alone (two studies) (neck or shoulder: RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.12 to 6.98; right upper limb: RR 1.07; 95% CI 0.58 to 1.96).Workstation adjustment (one study) and sit-stand desks (one study) did not have an effect on upper limb pain or discomfort, compared to no intervention.Organisational ergonomic interventionsThere is very low-quality evidence that supplementary breaks (two studies) reduce discomfort of the neck (MD -0.25; 95% CI -0.40 to -0.11), right shoulder or upper arm (MD -0.33; 95% CI -0.46 to -0.19), and right forearm or wrist or hand (MD -0.18; 95% CI -0.29 to -0.08) among data entry workers.Training in ergonomic interventionsThere is low to very low-quality evidence in five studies that participatory and active training interventions may or may not prevent work-related MSDs of the upper limb or neck or both.Multifaceted ergonomic interventionsFor multifaceted interventions there is one study (very low-quality evidence) that showed no effect on any of the six upper limb pain outcomes measured in that study. We found inconsistent evidence that the use of an arm support or an alternative mouse may or may not reduce the incidence of neck or shoulder MSDs. For other physical ergonomic interventions there is no evidence of an effect. For organisational interventions, in the form of supplementary breaks, there is very low-quality evidence of an effect on upper limb discomfort. For training and multifaceted interventions there is no evidence of an effect on upper limb pain or discomfort. Further high-quality studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of these interventions among office workers.

Background: Pain and impediments to the activities of daily living are common symptoms of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) that individuals experience from work-related activities. The occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) triggers the body system and there is a heightened perception of stress, which could be associated with the musculoskeletal disorders or other psychosocial factors. Aim: The study aimed to determine the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and the level of perceived stress and investigate the association between work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and perceived stress. Method: A cross-sectional study design was employed. And participants for the study were recruited using a consecutive sampling technique, with criteria for the study such as 200-500 level undergraduate nursing students. Participants were required to complete questionnaires assessing the work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) prevalence and perceived stress. Questionnaires were distributed by hand and collected via the same means with assistance from level representatives. Data obtained were analyzed using SPSS software, version 27.0. Chi square test was used to determine the association between work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and Perceived Stress among undergraduate clinical nursing students, while descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Results: A high proportion of undergraduate nursing students reported work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in at least one body region, the lower back being the most affected area. With a 12-month prevalence of 95.8%. A moderate level of perceived stress (74.1%) was the most reported in the study population. There is a significant association with Shoulder MSD (X2 = 4.473, p = 0.037), Upper Back (X2 = 5.066, p = 0.036) and Lower Back MSD (X2 = 6.127, p = 0.018), and Hip/Thighs MSD (X2 = 5.995, p = 0.021). The other body regions (Neck, Elbow, Wrist/Hand, Knees, Ankles) were not statistically significant when associated with perceived stress across the study population. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of MSDs (95.8%) among undergraduate nursing students. 30.5%, 25%, 16.2%, and 24.1% of undergraduate nursing students at the 500, 400, 300, and 200 levels reported having musculoskeletal complaints respectively in that order. Despite the high prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), the study found a significant association with perceived stress.