Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Medical Practitioners in the Hospitals of Al'Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia‏

Introduction Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) have a significant impact on the workplace; they have been growing as a problem in our population, especially among healthcare practitioners. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of the condition, evaluate the WMSDs experienced by practitioners in different specialties in different hospitals in the Al'Qassim region, and study various risk factors that contribute to the development of WMSDs. Methods After gaining the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, a cross-sectional study was conducted among all medical care practitioners at hospitals in the Al'Qassim region. Data were collected using a validated, standardized, and self-administered questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the SAS software version 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Results The study result revealed that out of 382 participants, just over half (209, 54.7%) experienced WMSDs. Among them, 103 (27.54%) were males, and 271 (72.54%) were females. The average age of participants was 31.25 ±6.82 years. Participants with experience of 6-10 years were twice as likely to develop WMSDs compared to participants with fewer years of experience [odds ratio (OR): 2.342; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.062-5.168; p = 0.0350]. There was no significant difference in terms of past medical history between the two groups except for the history of having low back pain, which was more common in participants with WMSDs (77.59% versus 22.41%; p: <0.0001), and neck pain (74.19% versus 25.81%; p = 0.0003). Almost all job risk factors varied significantly between the groups (p: <0.05). Prevalent risk factors included performing the same task over and over again (134, 37.96%), treating an excessive number of patients in one day (127, 35.88%), and working in the same positions (126, 35.8%). Conclusions Based on this study findings, we can conclude that WMSDs affect a high proportion of healthcare professionals; the female gender and more than six years of experience were found to be major predictors for WMSDs. Pain in the lower back, shoulders, and neck were the most frequently reported musculoskeletal complaints (MSCs). Hence, we recommend the incorporation of musculoskeletal disorder prevention programs in the hospitals' educational programs as they will reduce the rate of WMSDs and ensure the health and well-being of healthcare practitioners.

Keywords: healthcare practitioners; musculoskeletal; risk factor; wmsd.