The effect of a structured personalized ergonomic intervention program for hospital nurses with reported musculoskeletal pain: An assigned randomized control trial

BACKGROUND: Intervention programs for hospital nurses with musculoskeletal pain present a challenge for the health professions. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of a structured personalized ergonomic intervention program for hospital nurses with musculoskeletal pain. METHODS: In a randomised controlled trial, 31 nurses from one central hospital with musculoskeletal pain were observed at work. A multi-stage study that included the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, Karasek's questionnaire, The Rapid Entire Body Assessment, and an intervention program was completed with 14 nurses, while the remaining 17 were assigned to a control group. The intervention program was carried out by one physiotherapist and included four meetings over three months. The control group received only instruction sheets. Data on body posture and frequency and intensity of pain were collected before and at three months after the termination of the intervention program. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed an improvement in REBA scores and in posture that is considered risk factor for work-related musculoskeletal discomfort disorders [p<0.001], but there were no significant differences in the number of body parts in pain or in the level of musculoskeletal pain. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention was shown to be effective in reducing risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders over a short follow-up period. A long-term study is required to determine if this effect is preserved over a longer period and to determine whether the intervention can reduce musculoskeletal symptoms.