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Longitudinal relationship of work hours, mandatory overtime, and on-call to musculoskeletal problems in nurses.

Trinkoff AM; Le R; Geiger-Brown J; Lipscomb J; Lang G

Am J Ind Med 2006 Nov; 49(11):964-971

https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.20330

20031445

BACKGROUND: Nurses are at very high risk for work-related musculoskeletal injury/disorders (MSD) with low back pain/injury being the most frequently occurring MSD. Nurses are also likely to work extended schedules (long hours, on-call, mandatory overtime, working on days off). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of extended work schedules in nurses to MSD. METHODS: Using a longitudinal, three wave survey of 2,617 registered nurses, Wave 1 work schedule data were related to neck, shoulder, and back (MSD) cases occurring in Waves 2 or 3. RESULTS: Schedule characteristics increasing MSD risk included 13+ hour/days, off-shifts, weekend work, work during time off (while sick, on days off, without breaks), and overtime/on-call. These increases in risk were not explained by psychological demands, but were largely explained by physical demands. CONCLUSIONS: Adverse schedules are significantly related to nurse MSD. Healthier schedules, less overtime, and reducing work on days off would minimize risk and recovery time.

Nurses; Nursing; Health-care-personnel; Medical-personnel; Worker-health; Quantitative-analysis; Shift-work; Shift-workers; Job-analysis; Risk-factors; Risk-analysis; Fatigue; Muscle-stress; Muscle-tension; Musculoskeletal-system-disorders; Stress

Alison M. Trinkoff, University of Maryland School of Nursing, 655 W. Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

AJIMD8

20061101

Journal Article

Trinkoff@son.umaryland.edu

Grant

2007

Grant-Number-R01-OH-007554; Grant-Number-T42-OH-008416

11

0271-3586

American Journal of Industrial Medicine

MD

University of Maryland, School of Nursing, Baltimore