Abstract

MOURA, Maria Isabel Rebelo Lopes de; MARTINS, Maria Manuela Ferreira Pereira da Silva  and  RIBEIRO, Olga Maria Pimenta Lopes. Musculoskeletal symptoms of hospital nurses: contribution of rehabilitation nurses. Rev. Enf. Ref. [online]. 2019, vol.serIV, n.23, pp.121-131. ISSN 0874-0283.  https://doi.org/10.12707/RIV19035.

Background: Nurses make up the major professional category in the National Health Service, and their work affects their musculoskeletal well-being. Objective: To determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms of nurses and identify their risk factors. Methodology: A quantitative, descriptive, and correlational study, conducted in a Portuguese hospital center, used a non-probabilistic sample by convenience of 260 nurses. A questionnaire was used as data collection instrument, divided into two parts (sociodemographic and professional data/Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire). Results: The majority of nurses (65.1%) manifests musculoskeletal symptoms, the lumbar spine being the most affected body segment. The female gender, aging, body mass index, time of professional experience, and workload are related to the worsening of symptoms. Conclusion: The results point out the need to raise awareness of the risk factors among nurses, as well as to promote the adoption of strategies, like workplace gymnastics, to minimize musculoskeletal symptoms.

Keywords : nurses; hospitals; risk factors; musculoskeletal pain.

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