Interventions to prevent back pain and back injury in nurses: a systematic review

Abstract

A systematic literature review was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of interventions that aim to prevent back pain and back injury in nurses. Ten relevant databases were searched; these were examined and reference lists checked. Two reviewers applied selection criteria, assessed methodological quality and extracted data from trials. A qualitative synthesis of evidence was undertaken and sensitivity analyses performed. Eight randomised controlled trials and eight non-randomised controlled trials met eligibility criteria. Overall, study quality was poor, with only one trial classified as high quality. There was no strong evidence regarding the efficacy of any interventions aiming to prevent back pain and injury in nurses. The review identified moderate level evidence from multiple trials that manual handling training in isolation is not effective and multidimensional interventions are effective in preventing back pain and injury in nurses. Single trials provided moderate evidence that stress management programs do not prevent back pain and limited evidence that lumbar supports are effective in preventing back injury in nurses. There is conflicting evidence regarding the efficacy of exercise interventions and the provision of manual handling equipment and training. This review highlights the need for high quality randomised controlled studies to examine the effectiveness of interventions to prevent back pain and injury in nursing populations. Implications for future research are discussed.

Musculoskeletal pain among critical-care nurses by availability and use of patient lifting equipment: An analysis of cross-sectional survey data

“…Work-related pain, however, has not been a common choice as a pain measure in intervention or prevalence studies. According to a systematic review of back injury intervention studies among nurses (Dawson et al, 2007), seven out of eight studies that evaluated patient handling devices or ergonomics training assessed pain as the outcome measure, and only one study asked about work-related pain and it was the only study that found a significant reduction in pain (Yassi et al, 2001). Employing an outcome measure with an adequate sensitivity and specificity should be an important consideration in intervention studies.…”

Musculoskeletal injuries among hospital patient care staff before and after implementation of patient lift and transfer equipment

“…The efficacy of mechanical lift equipment at reducing the biomechanical load of patient-handling tasks has been supported in a controlled laboratory setting (8); however, studies offer different conclusions of the effectiveness of patient-lifting equipment (often implemented in conjunction with other intervention components) at reducing adverse MS conditions among workers in patient-care settings (15)(16)(17). A number of barriers to the use of lift equipment have been described (18)(19)(20); studies suggest mechanical patient lifts are not regularly used in patient care tasks (1,(21)(22)(23)(24)(25).…”

O adoecer pelo trabalho na enfermagem: uma revisão integrativa

“…Um estudo sistemático sobre a dor nos enfermeiros (36) sugere que estudos randomizados controlados são necessários para se obter resultados significantes em relação à dor dos trabalhadores da saúde.…”