Underreporting of work‐related low back pain among registered nurses: A mixed method study

Abstract

BackgroundIdentifying and addressing work‐related health problems early is crucial, but workers often perceive barriers in reporting these to management. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with nurses' reporting of work‐related low back pain to their managers and explored the reasons why nurses with patient handling injuries did not report them.MethodsThis study is a concurrent mixed‐method analysis of data from two statewide cross‐sectional surveys of California registered nurses conducted in 2013 and 2016. The reporting of work‐related low back pain to management (n = 288) was examined for associations with individual, occupational, and organizational factors. For qualitative analysis, the reasons for not reporting patient handling injuries were explored using open‐ended responses (n = 42).ResultsReporting was associated with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) men (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07−1.59) compared to non‐Hispanic White women; being a non‐US educated nurse (AOR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.80−1.01); experiencing greater low back pain (AOR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02−1.12); missing work (AOR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.21−2.62); perceiving high physical workload (AOR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.81−0.98); perceiving high people‐oriented culture (AOR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.04−1.25); and perceiving high ergonomic practices (AOR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.81−0.98). Identified themes on the reasons for not reporting injuries included organizational‐culture attitudes toward work‐related injuries and injury characteristics of musculoskeletal disorders.ConclusionsThe findings indicate a need for management to remove structural barriers and improve organizational practices, and for a culture that promotes trust and open communication between workers and management.

The Role of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Hazard Evaluations in Reducing Ergonomic Injury among Interventional Pulmonologists

“…We agree with the authors and want to highlight how the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluations (HHE) Program may contribute to reducing ergonomic injury among interventional pulmonologists. NIOSH ergonomic research has identified risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders and developed engineering controls and administrative recommendations that are applicable to a range of settings to reduce musculoskeletal disorders ( 1 , 2 ). Healthcare workers historically have faced high rates of occupational musculoskeletal disorders, such as back pain ( 2 , 3 ); therefore, safe patient handling has long been an emphasis of NIOSH and other healthcare-related professional societies ( 4 ).…”