PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS AMONG NURSES WORKING AT A TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN OMAN

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a major cause of concern for workplace safety for healthcare workers. The prevalence of nurses with MSDs is particularly high. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence and explore the associated factors of MSDs among nurses working in a tertiary hospital in Oman. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational study was used to examine 125 nurses using the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire. Results: We sampled 125 nurses working in different units. We found that the main age group is between 31 and 40 years old (58.4%), mostly female (79.2%), majority are married (80.8%) and have children (76.8%). Nurses in this sample work at different departments, majority are working in the orthopedic unit (18.4%). The minimum years of experience was 1 year, and the maximum was 33 years. Upper back pain was the most reported complaint (7.2%). Out of the 125 nurses 87 had symptoms of MSDs at a prevalence of 0.696. Three factors were found to have a relationship with workplace-related MSDs: working in the same position for long periods of time (p = 0.007), having lift-and-transfer-dependent patients (p = 0.023), and being forced to work harder under the condition of staff shortage (p = 0.062). None of the demographic and work-related characteristics were found to be related to MSDs. Conclusion: MSDs are very prevalent among nurses in Oman. The factors of developing MSDs are work related regardless of the demographic or workplace characteristics. Healthcare institutions shall implement preventive and rehabilitative measures to help nurses have better musculoskeletal health.