Description
Introduction – Objectives: Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSDs) refers to the impairments, discomfort, disability, and persistent pain in joints, muscle, bones, ligaments, and tendons. Globally, WRMSDs’ problems are prevalent in the nursing profession. WRMSDs among nurses have been observed and documented in the Namibian context at some Intermediate Public Hospitals (IPHs), despite the effort that the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has developed Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) policy that guides to prevent WRMSDs in health care workers. In Namibia, WRMSDs have led nurses at IPHs into painful disorders, poor work performances, stress, psychosocial problems, and work resignations to other ministries for other job opportunities. Literature has revealed that individual OHS policy or single ergonomic interventions have failed to reduce risks associated with WRMSDs because these disorders are multifactorial in nature that need multiple interventions to address them at all different levels at the workplace. The objective of this study was to develop the Multifaceted Ergonomic Educational Program to prevent WRMSDs among nurses in IPHs in Namibia.
Methodology: The study utilized a mixed-methods explanatory-sequential design, using a self-administered Standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire to collect data from 808 randomly selected nurses at Katutura, Onandjokwe, Oshakati, and Rundu intermediate public hospitals (IPHs). The interview guide was used to collect data among purposively sampled nurses at all IPHs, and Occupational Health and Safety key informants from the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS). The IBM SPSS statistic 26 was used for descriptive statistical analysis. The relationship between the independent variable and dependent variables was analyzed using multiple logistic regression analysis, while interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.
Results and Discussions: The prevalence rate of WRMSDs over a 12 months period, in any body part, was 76%, 73%, 69%, and 65.0%, of the respondents at Katutura, Oshakati, Rundu, and Onandjokwe IPHs respectively. Socio-demographic information (age), occupational profile (Years of experience), psychosocial risk factors (high workloads), and physical risk factors (repetitive manual task, extensive sitting, extensive standing, awkward postures, manual handling, including patient handling) were significantly associated with the development of WRMSDs among nurses at all IPHs, as obtained p-value was ≤0.05. Overall, high workload was the main factor significantly associated with the development of WRMSDs among nurses at Katutura (OR=2.32, 95% CI: 1.24-4.34, p=0.0116), Onandjokwe (OR=3.24, 95% CI: 1.71-6.12, p=0.0004), Oshakati (OR=1.92, 95% CI: 1.05-3.48, p=0.0451), and Rundu IPHs (OR=3.37, 95% CI: 1.70-6.67, p=0.0006). The study reveals that nurses working in IPHs are understaffed, and overloaded with hospital work since nurses have to attend to patients that might sometimes be more than the accommodating capacity of the hospitals. These have resulted in prolonged standing, sitting, applying repetitive movements, manual handling, and stress.
Conclusions: Thus, the study developed a multifaceted ergonomic educational program with 3 program elements; administrative, Individual-level, and engineering interventions, to prevent WRMSDs among nurses. It is recommended that the MoHSS should implement the program as this could decrease the prevalence of WRMSDs among nurses, and ensure the health working team.
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