The Prevalence of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Stress Level Among Hospital Nurses
Ezrin Hani SUKADARIN1, Norraphat Uttraphan PIM1, Junaidah ZAKARIA1, Baba Md DEROS2, Nur Syazwani Md NAWI2

1 Occupational Safety and Health Program, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300 Gambang, Pahang, Malaysia.

2 Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

Page 40 – 44   |   Vol. 1, No. 1 (2016)   |    Available online on 1 September 2016

Abstract

Hospital nurses receive enormous amounts of physical and mental workload which causes them to develop work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) and occupational stress. In this research, a cross-sectional study was carried out to identify the prevalence of WRMSDs, to evaluate the level of stress, and also to investigate the relationship between musculoskeletal complaints (MSCs) and stress level among one hundred and eight hospital nurses (n=108) in a government hospital. Data collection was done using three instruments, namely Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), Workplace Ergonomic Risk Assessment Tool (WERA), and Stress Overload Scale Instrument (SOS). Based on the results obtained, a majority of the nurses suffer lower back pain whereas in terms of stress level, the nurses face relatively high stress level from their work. The relationship between MSCs and stress level was found to be absent. WRMSDs and stress are both multifactorial thus making it hard to conclude that the WRMSDs experienced by the nurses are caused by stress. Because of that, further study in relation to WRMSDs and stress is required to explore this issue.

Keywords

WRMSDs, NMQ, WERA, SOS

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP). We would like to express our
gratitude to the Faculty of Engineering Technology (FTek), UMP Malaysia for the support in this study. Not to forget, our sincerest gratitude to all respondents who took part in this research.

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