Midwives' thoughts about musculoskeletal disorders with an evaluation of working tasks

Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and associated factors among University of Zimbabwe Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences non-academic workers: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders most commonly contribute to years lived with disability among workers. Heavy physical work, static work posture, awkward posture, force exertion, lifting and repetitive movements increase the risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and associated factors among non-academic workers at the University of Zimbabwe Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Non-academic workers included security personnel, catering staff, drivers, library staff, clerical staff, technicians and janitorial staff.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The study used a cross-sectional analytical design. One hundred and eight non-academic workers at the University of Zimbabwe Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences were sampled through proportional stratified sampling in January 2021. An adapted Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire capturing socio-demographics and ergonomic risk factors was used to gather data. SPSS v24 was used for data analysis including frequencies, tests of association and multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

One hundred non-academic workers from the University of Zimbabwe Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences responded. The 3-month and 12-month prevalences of work-related musculoskeletal disorders were highest in the lower back (n = 72, 72% and n = 75, 75%) and wrists/hands (n = 60, 60% and n = 69, 69%) respectively. Sociodemographic factors such as age (p = 0.002), gender (p < 0.001), educational level (p = 0.008) and worker category (p < 0.001) were associated with increased work-related musculoskeletal disorders, while work experience (p = 0.002) was associated with a decreased prevalence of back pain and discomfort. Females (AOR = 55.90; 95% CI [3.84, 814.54]), security personnel (AOR = 39.53, 95% CI [1.57, 996.00]), catering staff (AOR = 91.3295% CI [2.24, 3724.78]) and those who attained bachelor's degrees (AOR = 73.25, 95% CI [1.46, 3682.39]), higher national diplomas (AOR = 93.49, 95% CI [1.28, 6848.04]) and national diplomas (AOR = 52.22; 95% CI [1.09, 2510.73]) had higher odds of experiencing WMSDs. Increased working experience was protective against experiencing lower back pain (AOR = 0.84; 95% CI [0.74, 0.95]).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders was high among the participants. This was influenced by the nature of work as well as cultural factors.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Occupational therapists and physiotherapists need to design focused ameliorative and health promotive interventions targeting at-risk populations in universities. Employers should consider developing wellness programs for workers and promoting healthy working environments.

Biomechanical evaluation of midwifery tasks and its relationship with the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders

Introduction

As an important occupational group in the healthcare system, midwives face various ergonomic risk factors such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) risks. Moreover, an accurate job evaluation can help to design appropriate ergonomic interventions and more accurately estimate the probability of developing MSDs. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate musculoskeletal discomforts and biomechanical stresses using the Three-Dimensional Static Strength Prediction Program (3DSSPP Ver. 7.1.3) to find the association of these factors with the prevalence of MSDs among midwives.

Materials and methods

A total of 91 midwives with at least two years of work experience participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study. All midwifery duties were analyzed using the hierarchical task analysis (HTA) method. Moreover, time analysis was performed for this job, and data were collected using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and body mapping. The 3DSSPP software was used to investigate the forces acting on the lumbar region, and finally, the association of individual characteristics and the forces exerted on the body with MSDs was investigated.

Results

According to the results, the highest level of pain and discomfort was related to the back and neck regions. The software analysis of the four major midwifery tasks showed that the highest biomechanical forces were exerted on the L5/S1 disc during lifting the mothers from bed (to help them sit or walk) and breastfeeding training. Accordingly, only in the task of lifting the mothers and helping them to sit or walk, the balance status was inappropriate and critical due to the improper distribution of forces. The analysis of the associations between variables showed that biomechanical forces, age, height, body mass index, and job tenure were among the risk factors affecting MSDs.

Conclusion

According to the results of this study, MSDs were highly prevalent, especially in the neck and back regions; this can be attributed to the nature of midwifery tasks. The software analysis results of the tasks showed that the biomechanical forces on the spine in each of the tasks can be affected by the weight of the mother, the height of the bed, static posture, and the bending/twisting of the whole body. Compression and shear forces were among the risk factors that can affect MSDs. To prevent MSDs in midwives, it is appropriate to improve the workstations.

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, working conditions, and related risk factors in the meat processing industry: Comparative analysis of Iran-Poland

BACKGROUND

Activities performed by people in the meat processing industry are very repetitive, time-consuming, dangerous, and require long-term downtime during a shift (forced-static position).

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and working conditions among Polish and Iranian workers to fill this research gap.

METHODS

A comparative analysis of the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in developed and developing countries was conducted. After selecting the target factories, data was collected using Nordic and Mental Stress Questionnaires and 3DSSPP software with the participation of 110 meat processing workers, including 55 Iranian and 55 Polish.

RESULTS

This study showed nearly the same prevalence of MSDs among male Iranian and Polish workers, especially in elbow, wrist/hand, upper back, hip/thigh, and ankle/foot. The overall prevalence of MSDs was relatively high and connected to the lower back (38%, 64%), knee (40%, 24%), neck (24%, 42%), and upper back (24%, 34.5%), among Iranian and Polish workers, respectively. Assessment of logistic regression disclosed that the workplace is considerably associated with the elbow and the ankle/foot musculoskeletal pain, with 2.34 and 3.81 times more likely for the production room, respectively, among Iranian workers.

CONCLUSION

Age, gender, type of occupation, work experience, smoking, insufficient physical activity, workplace, working postures, and stress level all affected the likelihood of MSDs happening in various body regions in both countries, implying that both individual and work-related (both physical and psychosocial) aspects should be taken into consideration when evaluating and managing such complaints in this workforce.

Women's Health and Working Life: A Scoping Review

Women's health matters for participation in working life. The objective of this study was to explore female physiology in a work-life context and to investigate possible associations between women's health, sickness absence and work ability. A scoping review was conducted to develop a systematic overview of the current research and to identify knowledge gaps. The search strategy was developed through a population, concept and context (PCC) model, and three areas of women's health were identified for investigation in the context of work. A total of 5798 articles were screened by title and abstract and 274 articles were screened by full text; 130 articles were included in the review. The material included research from 19 countries; the majority of the studies used quantitative methods. The results showed an impact on the occupational setting and an association between sickness absence, work ability and all three areas of women's health, but a holistic and overall perspective on female biology in the work context is missing. This review calls for more knowledge on health and work and possible gender differences in this regard. Women's health and working life involve a complex connection that has the potential to develop new knowledge.

Ergonomic risk factors and work-related musculoskeletal disorders in clinical physiotherapy

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to objectively quantify and evaluate the ergonomic risk of clinical physiotherapy practices and evaluate physiotherapists for work-related musculoskeletal disorders and pain.

Methods

Twenty-nine physiotherapists in the rehabilitation department of a large-scale tertiary hospital were recruited in this study. The sampling period lasted for 2 weeks for each physiotherapist and interval sampling was adopted to avoid duplication of cases. Therapist posture during physiotherapy was captured, tracked and analyzed in real time using structured light sensors with an automated assessment program. The quantification of ergonomic risk was based on REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) and the RPE (perceived physical exertion) scores of the therapists were recorded before and after treatment, respectively.

Results

Two hundred and twenty-four clinical physiotherapy cases were recorded, of which 49.6% were high risk and 33% were very high risk, with none of the cases presenting negligible risk. The positioning (p < 0.001) of physiotherapist had a considerable impact on ergonomic risk and pediatric physiotherapy presented a higher risk to physiotherapists than adults (p < 0.001). The RPE score of physiotherapist after performing physiotherapy was greater than before physiotherapy and was positively correlated with the REBA distribution.

Conclusion

Our study creates an automatic tool to assess the ergonomic risk of physiotherapy practices and demonstrates unacceptable ergonomic risk in common practices. The high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and pains recommends that rehabilitation assistance devices should be optimized and standard ergonomic courses should be included in physiotherapists' training plans.