Evaluation of time spent in high strain postures among nurses and laboratory technicians: implications for ergonomic interventions

Abstract

Background & Aims: Musculoskeletal problems can develop due to the work conditions of nurses and laboratory technicians. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how much time nurses and laboratory technicians spent on high strain postures. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 32 nurses (from internal medicine and general surgery wards) and 20 laboratory technicians in a hospital located in Tabriz, northwestern Iran. The Nordic questionnaire and the rapid entire body assessment (REBA) method, with a new scoring algorithm, were used for ergonomic assessment. The 90th percentile was calculated for REBA components to determine the time spent by participants working in stressful postures in the upper extremity, upper quadrant, and trunk/lower extremity. One-way analysis of variance was used for statistical analysis. Results: Musculoskeletal symptoms of the neck (63.5%) and back (55.8%) were the most common. The time spent in high strain postures of upper extremity and trunk/lower extremity was statistically different between nurses and laboratory technicians. Internal medicine nurses and laboratory technicians were observed in high strain postures for 11% and 8% of their work hours, respectively. Conclusion: Internal medicine nurses are subjected to more biomechanical stress than general surgery nurses, particularly in the upper body. On the other hand, laboratory technicians work with biomechanical stress on their trunk and lower extremities. Ergonomic interventions are proposed to correct nurses' upper body postures and laboratory technicians' lower body postures.

Keywords

• ergonomic assessment
• hospital
• laboratory technician
• nurse
• reba