Adherence to Healthy Lifestyles: A Comparison of Occupational Therapy Students with Nursing and Physiotherapy Students

The effect of forearm position on elbow flexion strength in nursing, occupational, and physical therapy students

BACKGROUND

Novice nurses, occupational and physical therapist's injury rates are alarming.

OBJECTIVE

To test for differences in peak elbow flexion forces (PEFF) by profession using different forearm positions.

METHODS

Entry-level RN, OT, and PT students performed 3-repetitions of standing PEFF in forearm supination, pronation, and neutral. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA determined the forearm position with the greatest PEFF. A one-way ANOVA assessed differences in PEFF between professions. The alpha level was set at p≤0.05 for all analyses.

RESULTS

Thirty 30 RN, 25 OT, and 30 PT students (x = 23.27 + /-3.29 yrs.) were studied. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant difference in PEFF between positions (F(2,168) = 144.3, p < 0.0001). A significant (p < 0.0001) pairwise comparison revealed neutral produced the greatest (28.15 + /-12.64 kg) and pronation the least PEFF (17.27 + /-7.40). PEFF was significantly different between position by profession (supination: F(2,82) = 10.14, p < 0.0001; pronation: F(2,82) = 10.33, p < 0.0001; neutral: F(2,82) = 13.39, p < 0.0001). PTs were significantly stronger than OTs and RN students in all forearm positions (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Neutral PEFF was greatest and PT students demonstrated greater PEFF than OT and RN students.

Musculoskeletal Complaints in Occupational Therapists Compared to the General Population: A Cross-Sectional Study in Germany

Occupational therapists (OTs) are exposed to physical factors at work, which can lead to an increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Most studies examining musculoskeletal complaints in OT report that the neck, shoulders, and lower back are most often afflicted. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of work as an OT (focusing on specific work tasks) on specific musculoskeletal complaints compared to the general working population. A cross-sectional study involving a self-administered standardized questionnaire was conducted from January until October 2015 in Germany. In OT and the comparison group, the highest 12-month prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders were observed for the lower back, the neck, and the shoulders. In contrast, elevated prevalence ratios (PR) were found for OT in the thumbs (PR = 2.7; 95% CI = 1.9-3.8), the wrists (PR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.1-1.8), and the elbows (PR = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.0-2.2). OTs were particularly exposed to high exertion hand activity and several stressful postures at work. In conclusion, OTs seem to be at risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal complaints in the thumbs, wrists, and elbows. Preventive measures should help to reduce the exposures caused by highly repetitive and forceful hand activities.

Upper Body Musculoskeletal Disorders among Australian Occupational Therapy Students

Although upper body musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) represent an increasingly important issue for university students, few if any studies have targeted the occupational therapy faculty. Given this dearth of information, it was considered necessary to investigate a cross-section of Australian occupational therapy students by means of an established questionnaire survey. Completed replies were obtained from 95.7%, 100% and 97.7% (n = 44, 55 and 48) of students in the first, second and fourth years of a large occupational therapy school in northern Queensland, Australia.

The 12-month period prevalence of MSDs was as follows: neck (67.4%), shoulder (46.3%) and upper back (39.5%). Three-quarters of all students (75.5%) reported an MSD occurring in at least one of these body regions. Over half (56.5%) reported an MSD over 2 days' duration in the past year. Almost 40% (39.5%) reported an MSD that had affected their daily life, while one-quarter (25.2%) needed some type of treatment.

Logistic regression indicated that students aged over 21 years were almost four times more likely to report shoulder-related MSD (OR 3.7, 95%CI: 1.4–10.2). Year of study in the occupational therapy course was another important MSD correlate, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 3.3 at the upper back (OR 3.3, 95%CI: 1.2–9.6) to 10.9 at the neck (OR 10.9, 95%CI: 3.2–43.8). Computer usage also incurred a certain degree of risk, with students who spent over 5 hours per week on the computer having an increased risk of MSD at the neck (OR 5.0, 95%CI: 1.3–21.5) and shoulder (OR 4.7, 95%CI: 1.4–18.3).

Overall, this study suggests that Australian occupational therapy students have a large burden from MSDs in the upper body region, even more so than other student groups and some working populations. Since the distribution of MSD risk is not uniform among them, interventions to help reduce these conditions need to be carefully targeted. Further longitudinal investigations would also be useful in determining the mechanisms and contributory factors for MSDs among this unique student population.

Low Back Pain in Student Nurses: Literature Review and Prospective Cohort Study

There is consensus that registered nurses worldwide have a high prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, particularly of the back. Patient handling activities such as lifting present the highest risk of injury, activities that begin in nursing school. A literature review identified 21 studies of back pain in nursing students, indicating a wide range of prevalence rates. A prospective cohort study of nursing students in a United States baccalaureate program followed 119 students who completed the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire upon beginning the 16 month upper division major and then a year later. There was no statistically significant change in low back pain prevalence over time. While nursing students have intermittent and brief exposure to patient handling activities, nursing schools must nevertheless protect them before they enter the high risk profession of nursing by teaching evidence-based safe patient handling techniques, empowering students to refuse unsafe manual lifts, and ensuring that the clinical settings with which they affiliate have adequate mechanical equipment available.

Is that really my movement? - Students' experiences of a video-supported interactive learning model for movement awareness

Healthcare staff and students have a great risk of developing musculoskeletal symptoms. One cause of this is heavy load related work activities such as manual handling, in which the quality of individual work technique may play a major role. Preventive interventions and well-defined educational strategies to support movement awareness and long-lasting movement changes need to be developed. The aim of the present study was to explore nursing students’ experiences of a newly developed interactive learning model for movement awareness. The learning model, which is based on a life-world perspective with focus on interpersonal interaction, has been used with 11 undergraduate students from the second and final year. Each student participated in three individual video sessions with a facilitator. Two individual interviews were carried out with each student during the learning process and one interview 12–18 months after the last session. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and a phenomenological hermeneutic method inspired by Paul Ricoeur and described by Lindseth and Norberg was used to interpret the interviews and diary notes. The interpretation resulted in three key themes and nine subthemes. The key themes were; “Obtaining better preconditions for bodily awareness,” “Experiencing changes in one's own movement,” and “Experiencing challenges in the learning process.” The interactive learning model entails a powerful and challenging experience that develops movement awareness. The experience of meaningfulness and usefulness emerges increasingly and alternates with a feeling of discomfort. The learning model may contribute to the body of knowledge of well-defined educational strategies in movement awareness and learning in, for example, preventive interventions and ergonomic education. It may also be valuable in other practical learning situations where movement awareness is required.

Impact of musculoskeletal symptoms on general physical activity during nursing education

Nursing education should prepare students for a lifelong professional career including managing clinical physical demands. Musculoskeletal symptoms, such as bodily pain, have been reported among nurses and nursing students but less is known about the impact of symptoms in daily activities. The aim was to explore the prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms and their impact on general physical activity among nursing students. This cross-sectional study was based on a questionnaire to all undergraduate nursing students at one university. The prevalence of symptoms and physical impact during past 3 and 12 months was calculated for each study year. Odds ratio was analysed with logistic regression. Of 348 students 224 responded, 84% women, mean age 24.6 years (range 20-46). Of those 143 (64%) reporting symptoms during the past 12 months, 91 (64%) reported impact on physical activities. Most commonly reported were everyday activities such as transportations and prolonged sitting. The odds ratio for reporting symptoms was 1.8 for year 2 (95% CI: 0.9-3.5), and 4.7 for year 3 (95% CI: 2.1-10.7). The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms was high among nursing students and higher the final study year and not only resulted in discomfort but had an impact on the students' general physical activities.