NIOSHTIC-2 Publications Search

Risk for low back, neck, and shoulder pain among home health care workers.

Wood EM; Hegmann KT; Garg A; Alder SC; Kapellusch J; Thiese MS; Thompson CJ; Wendelboe A

J Occup Environ Med 2003 Jul; 45(7):774

http://journals.lww.com/joem/Citation/2003/07000/Abstracts_for_AOHC_Session_2301__Current_Research.13.aspx

20038042

Background: Home health care (HHC) workers are reported at risk for injuries due to patient transfers. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to 883 employees of 24 HHC agencies. We calculated prevalence rates and prevalence rate ratios (PRRs) for self-reported episodes of work-related low back, neck, and shoulder pain in three job classes (aides, nurses, and all others) for the prior 12 months. Results: One-year period prevalence rates for aides, nurses, and all others, respectively, were calculated as follows: low back pain, 58.1%, 45.8%, and 28.8%; neck pain, 32.9%, 34.8%, and 22.6%; and shoulder pain, 33.5%, 31.7%, and 19.9%. PRRs adjusted for age, sex, BMI, job/personal satisfaction, and smoking were calculated for aides and nurses using all others as controls: low back pain, aides [PRR = 3.4 (95% CI = 2.3-5.3)], nurses [PRR = 2.1 (95% CI = 1.3-3.3)]; neck pain, aides [PRR = 1.7 (95% CI = 1.1-2.7)], nurses [PRR = 1.8 (95% CI = 1.1-3.0)]; shoulder pain, aides [PRR = 2.03 (95% CI = 1.3-3.3)], nurses [PRR = 1.9 (95% CI = 1.1-3.1)]. Conclusions: Aides are at highest risk for low back and shoulder pain, and nurses appear to be at highest risk for neck pain.

Health-care-personnel; Medical-personnel; Health-services; Medical-services; Nurses; Musculoskeletal-system-disorders; Back-injuries; Injuries; Risk-analysis; Risk-factors; Manual-lifting; Questionnaires; Statistical-analysis; Neck-injuries

JOEMFM

20030701

Abstract

Grant

2003

Grant-Number-T42-OH-008414

7

1076-2752

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

UT; WI

University of Utah