article · PLoS ONE
A cross-sectional investigation across public hospitals in the Amhara region of Ethiopia evaluated the prevalence and drivers of low back pain among intensive care unit nurses. Out of 412 surveyed nurses, 76 percent reported experiencing low back pain. Statistical analysis revealed several significant risk factors linked to the condition. Female nurses faced higher odds of low back pain than male colleagues. The absence of assistive devices for transferring and handling patients, alongside a lack of dedicated intensive care training, notably elevated the risk. Personal and occupational elements also contributed substantially, with high job stress and the absence of regular physical exercise significantly associated with reported pain. The findings highlight the critical role of institutional support systems, including access to mechanical lifting aids, stress management, and professional training in intensive care settings.
Intensive care nurses provide essential care to critically ill patients, yet physically demanding routines frequently result in severe musculoskeletal injuries. Demonstrating that over three quarters of surveyed intensive care nurses experience low back pain underscores an urgent operational challenge. Identifying specific contributors, such as the absence of handling equipment and high workplace stress, gives healthcare administrators actionable focus areas to safeguard nursing personnel and sustain hospital performance.
The findings highlight a clear demand for ergonomic patient-handling and transfer devices tailored to intensive care units. Medical device manufacturers and workplace training providers could target public hospital networks to supply assistive transfer hardware and clinical ergonomics programmes. Because this is observational epidemiological research, it documents a defined operational need rather than testing a specific product, meaning any associated commercial solutions remain at an early concept and procurement stage.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
BACKGROUND: Low back pain is a common public health problem throughout the world with a global prevalence from 28% to 86%. Nurses working in intensive care units are handling people who are critically ill and helpless, which requires more assistance for transferring and handling activities. This possesses a risk for low back pain but little is known about it in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of low back pain and associated factors among nurses who work at intensive care units in Amhara region public hospitals, North Ethiopia. METHODS: A multi-centered institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Amhara region public hospitals from March 1-30, 2020. A simple random sampling technique after proportional allocation was used to select the study participants. Data were collected using a standard modified Nordic musculoskeletal assessment tool. After data were checked for completeness and consistency, it was entered into Epidata version 3.1 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Science software version 26 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were computed. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with low back pain. Finally, those variables with a p-value of <0.05 in multivariable analysis were considered statistically significant. RESULT: Study was conducted among 412 intensive care unit nurses giving a response rate of 97.6%. The magnitude of low back pain was 313 (76%) [95% CI: (71.6%-79.9%)]. Being female [AOR = 2.674 (1.404, 5.076)], unavailability of assistive device for patient handling [AOR = 2.139 (1.035, 4.410)], lack of training on intensive care [AOR = 2.017 (1.092, 3.943)], lack of regular exercise [AOR = 2.164 (1.164, 4.108)] and job stress [AOR = 3.66 (1.955, 6.498)] were factors significantly associated with low back pain. CONCLUSIONS: In this study the magnitude of low back pain was high. Being female, unavailability of an assistive device for patient handling, lack of training on intensive care, lack of regular exercise and job stress were factors associated with low back pain. Policymakers and concerned bodies should emphasize the accessibility of assistive devices for patient care, provision of training on intensive care, and adaptive working environment for intensive care unit nurses.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260361
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
