Details:

Alternative Title:
Occup Environ Med
Personal Author:
Gold, Judith E ; Punnett, Laura ; Gore, Rebecca J
Gold, Judith E ; Punnett, Laura ; Gore, Rebecca J Less -
Corporate Authors:
ProCare Research Team
Description:
Objectives

Healthcare workers have high rates of low back pain (LBP) related to handling patients. A large chain of nursing homes experienced reduced biomechanical load, compensation claims and costs following implementation of a safe resident handling programme (SRHP). The aim of this study was to examine whether LBP similarly declined and whether it was associated with relevant self-reported occupational exposures or personal health factors.

Methods

Worker surveys were conducted on multiple occasions beginning with the week of first SRHP introduction (baseline). In each survey, the outcome was LBP during the prior 3 months with at least mild severity during the past week. Robust Poisson multivariable regression models were constructed to examine correlates of LBP cross-sectionally at 2 years (F3) and longitudinally at 5–6 years (F5) post-SRHP implementation among workers also in at least one prior survey.

Results

LBP prevalence declined minimally between baseline and F3. The prevalence was 37% at F3 and cumulative incidence to F5 was 22%. LBP prevalence at F3 was positively associated with combined physical exposures, psychological job demands and prior back injury, while frequent lift device usage and ‘intense’ aerobic exercise frequency were protective. At F5, the multivariable model included frequent lift usage at F3 (relative risk (RR) 0.39 (0.18 to 0.84)) and F5 work–family imbalance (RR=1.82 (1.12 to 2.98)).

Conclusions

In this observational study, resident lifting device usage predicted reduced LBP in nursing home workers. Other physical and psychosocial demands of nursing home work also contributed, while frequent intense aerobic exercise appeared to reduce LBP risk.


Subject:
[+]
Adult
Article
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Low Back Pain
Male
Middle Aged
Moving And Lifting Patients
Multivariate Analysis
Nursing Homes
Nursing Staff
Occupational Diseases
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Safety Management
Surveys And Questionnaires
Time Factors

Source:
Occup Environ Med. 74(6):389-395.
Pubmed ID:
27919063
Pubmed Central ID:
PMC5860804
Document Type:
Journal Article
Funding:
U19 OH008857/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United States ; U19OH008857/ACL HHS/United States
U19 OH008857/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United States ; U19OH008857/ACL HHS/United States Less -
Place as Subject:
Massachusetts
Collection(s):
CDC Public Access
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:2ef71135a452c146b1bd87dfe78bcd0c8a06391aaa6820984f81edb4b7848fd2
File Type:

Supporting Files

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